Basmati rates plunge, Haryana farmers fret

KARNAL: The price of basmati varieties of rice has dropped below ₹2,000 leaving farmers who were hoping for a bumper harvest this season crestfallen.

Grain markets across the northern districts of Haryana reported that paddy, especially PUSA-1509 (an early variety of basmati), was being sold for ₹1,800-₹2,000 per quintal. Farmers say the prices this season were around ₹800- ₹1,000 below last year, causing a loss of around ₹20,000 per acre.

Rajbir Singh, who was selling his produce at the Ladwa grain market of Kurukshetra, said, “This is a bad year for farmers as private traders are purchasing paddy at an arbitrary rate. I had to sell two acres of produce for ₹1,940 per quintal.”

A farmer, Suresh Pal of Yamunanagar, said, “The few buyers in mandis are making the most of farmers’ helplessness. We cannot store our produce for long and so are selling at a loss.”

Growers of parmal and PR varieties of paddy are not faring any better as government agencies are yet to start procurement.

Aggrieved farmers allege that in the absence of government agencies, they are selling their produce for around ₹1,300₹1,400 per quintal, which around ₹500 less than the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government.

‘Start procurement soon’

Reportedly, government agencies will begin procurement from October 1. However, farmers have demanded that the government advance the procurement as most varieties will be harvested in three months.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Tikait) chief Ratan Mann says, “Paddy transplantation began from June 15, so procurement should have been started by now.”