Area under basmati likely to shrink sharply this season

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, May 15

With the basmati having failed to fetch desired prices last season, the area under the crop is likely to drop significantly in Muktsar district this season. As per an estimate of the Agriculture Department, it may go down by 75 per cent.

Beant Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said the number of farmers opting for basmati was expected to decline sharply this year. “Last season, the area under the basmati cultivation was nearly 45,000 hectares, but this year it is expected to remain around 12,000 hectares. The prices of basmati had remained between just Rs 1,600 and Rs 2,000 per quintal last year,” said Beant Singh. He said the total area under the paddy cultivation would however remain around 1.3 lakh to 1.35 lakh hectares this year.

Farmers, too, said there was no MSP fixed for the basmati crop, thus they would not grow basmati. “We will sow normal varieties of paddy, rather than sowing basmati. It had last year fetched very low prices. The government should ensure some support to basmati growers,” said Ranjeet Singh of Lundewala village.

Courtesy: The Tribune