Punjab targets to bring 20 pc more area under basmati

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

agriculture department is planning to increase the area under basmati crop by over 20 per cent in the current sowing season, with the state government pushing for alternative crops to wean away growers from water-guzzling paddy. As sowing of the aromatic crop is set to commence this month, the agriculture department has targeted to bring six lakh hectares under the aromatic crop, up from 4.94 lakh hectares last year, an agriculture department senior official said. The state government also has plans to fix a support price of Rs 2,600 to Rs 2,800 a quintal for basmati crop.

To promote the basmati rice crop, the department has roped in 'Kisan Mitra', who will provide technical guidance to growers for sowing it. «We have targeted to bring six lakh hectares of area under basmati this season,» said the official. The area under the basmati crop was 4.85 lakh hectares in 2021-22 and 4.06 lakh hectares in 2020-21.

Punjab grows paddy over an area of about 30 lakh hectares, including basmati, every year. Basmati is mainly grown in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and other districts. The officials anticipate that farmers in Fazilka and Muktsar districts will also bring more area under basmati paddy this time.

The Punjab government is promoting crops like basmati, cotton and pulses as an alternative to water-consuming paddy crops. The official said as farmers fetched more than Rs 3,500 a quintal from basmati paddy last year, and more growers will be encouraged to switch to basmati paddy this time. Kisan Mitra, trained by the agriculture department, has been roped in to guide and provide technical guidance to farmers for basmati crops.