Eyeing good returns, farmers of Muktsar bet big on basmati

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 9

With the basmati fetching good price over the past two years, the area under the crop is also increasing in Muktsar district. The basmati was sown on nearly 70,000 hectares in 2022, which rose to 90,000 hectares in 2023 and 1.1 lakh hectares this year in the district.

As a result, the area under other varieties of paddy, which usually consume more water and have to be sown almost a month in advance, is decreasing.

Notably, basmati prices remained between Rs 3,500 and 5,500 per quintal last year. This year, there is a robust demand of Indian basmati in other countries. The Agriculture Department also targeted to increase acreage under basmati with the aim to wean farmer away from water-guzzling varieties.

Dr Gurnam Singh, Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, said, “The area under basmati has reached nearly 1.1 lakh hectares this year, while the other varieties of paddy have been sown on nearly 93,000 hectares in the district. Basmati was grown on around 90,000 hectares last year with 1.1 lakh hectares under other varieties.”

Mainly PUSA 1121, 1509 and 1847 varieties of basmati were sown in the district, he said. “The sowing season has almost ended and the harvesting will begin in mid-October,” the Chief Agriculture Officer said.

Farmers Harjinder Singh, Baljeet Singh and Davinder Singh said, “We obtained record yield and got good rates last year, which led to increase in the area under the crop. Besides, basmati also witnessed record exports last year.”