Ludhiana: Cultivation of basmati rice in Punjab must be discouraged and the farmers advised to distribute the area under three non-basmati paddy varieties with a different maturity duration, depending upon the availability of labour and water at the time of transplanting, suggest experts from Punjab Agricultural University here.

With a weak rupee, exporters are confident of demand for Indian agri products in global mkt
Exporters of agri commodities such as wheat, sugar and cotton feel that shipments could pick up if India would enter into bilateral agreements with countries in the Middle East, Africa and the Saarc bloc. Comfortable global stock and a slowdown in the world economy are making Indian agri commodity exports unviable, say exporters. With a weak rupee, exporters are confident of demand for Indian agri products in international market if bilateral agreements are in place.

Rice exporters are agog with excitement over the opening up of the Chinese market for basmati exports. Its prices have also climbed up. But basmati production is likely to go down in the country with farmers in Punjab and Haryana set to cut down on its cultivation this year. Though rice exporters and traders feel prices of basmati will go up this year with the opening of the Chinese market, farmers are not so enthused. This is because they feel exporters are manipulating prices.

China has finally permitted the import of Indian basmati into its markets in a move that is expected to marginally reduce the yawning bilateral trade imbalance in China’s favour. Officials said a notification in this regard was issued by the Chinese authorities to traders earlier this week. In recent months, India had raised with China its concerns on the ban on imports of agricultural products, including basmati rice, fruits and vegetables, arguing that there was not "sufficient scientific evidences" in support of such a step.

The area under cultivation and total output of rice crop decreased by 18 percent and 30 percent respectively during 2010-11 due to floods and breaches in protective bunds of river Indus as well as low market returns.

This was revealed in a report titled 'Agriculture Statistics of Pakistan (ASP)', prepared by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for the year 2010-2011.

The report notes that the area under cultivation of rice declined in 2010-11 because of excessive floods that damaged the crop besides low market returns, which discouraged the growers.

For the first time a private company, CIC Agri after many years of research, has produced a high yielding paddy seed (white) at their Pelwehera tissue culture laboratory.

CIC Crops and Livestock Director/CEO Waruna Madawanaachchi told 'Daily News Business' that this has been named as CIC 301 and now available in the market. "The CIC 301 would yield around 120 bushels per acre which is very high," he said. The country average is around 70 bushels per acre.

In a decision that is likely to benefit rice farmers of West Bengal, an Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday is learnt to have decided to allow foodgrain exports to Bangladesh through specified points across border. The decision is likely to benefit exporters by reducing transportation costs and also farmers from West Bengal, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh from where private traders may source the foodgrain for export.

To explore markets elsewhere in the country and abroad for its saffron, basmati rice and rajmash among various other agricultural produce, the Jammu-Kashmir government is adopting organic farming in a systematic manner.

The most prestigious market for Indian basmati rice, the USA, has put on hold all consignments of the rice being imported there. In a major setback to Indian basmati exporters, the US Food and Drug Authority has refused to accept basmati being exported to that country, on account of traces of pesticides found in the food grain.

The assurance of a high yield as compared to the traditional basmati varieties has seen a manifold rise in the area under PUSA 1121 in Punjab and Haryana. As a result, a bumper basmati crop is expected this year.

The area under PUSA 1121 has risen sharply this year. In Punjab, the area under basmati cultivation (all varieties) has increased by over 50,000 hectares. In Haryana, the area under PUSA 1121 alone has increased by 50,000 hectares.