Pusa 1121 rice brings cheer to Karnal farmers

Parveen Arora

After Pusa 1509, Pusa 1121 is fetching a good price this season, giving rice farmers a reason to smile .

Farmers say the 1121 rice variety, cultivated in lesser area this year as it had failed to give a good return last year, has brought some respite to them from financial losses that they suffered earlier due to unprecedented rain.

This variety is being sold between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,700 per quintal in comparison to Rs 2,400 to Rs 2,700 last year. Market experts say the prices may rise by Rs 100 to Rs 200 per quintal in the coming days. Farmers claim Pusa 1121 was sold between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,100 a quintal in 2016 while the price was in the range of Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,800 in 2015.

“This year, the farmers sowed Pusa 1509 on a larger area that was sold between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,000, but later, they faced a slump in the prices of PR varieties of paddy. As a result, farmers were hoping for a good price for Pusa 1121. It has got a good response so far,” says Vijay Kapoor, a progressive farmer and state general secretary of Kisan Welfare Club.

He says that the price of paddy 1121 has made farmers happy in the ongoing festive season. The good price will also boost the morale of farmers who have suffered losses.

Sumit Kumar, a farmer from Taraori, says after getting a low price for the PR varieties, he had hoped for a good price for Pusa 1121. “The price is going as per our expectation,” he adds.

Vinod Goel, a commission agent at Karnal grain market, says that he has procured Pusa 1121 at Rs 3,650. “The price of this paddy variety may rise further,” he says.

Sumit Chaudhary, another commission agent, says that it is a good sign that the 1121 variety is being sold at a handsome price, making farmers happy.