Badal asks Basmati exporters to adopt village clusters

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday asked rice exporters to adopt village clusters for quality seed production of the Basmati variety and also to boost its export.

In a meeting with the members of the Punjab Rice Exporters' Association (PREA), Badal asked them to adopt a nearby cluster of eight to 10 villages for the quality seed production of Basmati varieties such as 1501 and 421.

He also asked them to initiate vigorous efforts for the revival of the traditional variety of Basmati 386, which is famous all over the world for its unique aromatic fragrance and taste.

The chief minister assured the PREA members, who visited him on Wednesday morning, of support and cooperation for this pro-farmer cause, which would not only help the state government boost its efforts of agriculture diversification but also ensure highly remunerative prices of their produce.

Badal said the state agriculture department, along with the association, could make joint efforts for the production of quality Basmati seed, as this would provide an impetus for the Basmati rice export.

The chief minister also promised to resolve all the pending issues of the PREA at Basmati Development Board and asked the officers concerned to fix its meeting at the earliest.

He said he would take up the issue of the recognition of PUSA 1121 Basmati in Europe with the Union ministry of commerce. It has not yet been defined as approved export variety in the European market.

He also assured the exporters of getting the issue of levying entry tax on the Basmati varieties of PUSA and 'Sugandha' purchased from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states, thoroughly examined.

Badal said the state government and the PREA should synergise their efforts to spread awareness among the farmers about the moisture content in Basmati.

He said a vigorous media campaign should be launched, so that farmers could get remunerative prices for their produce.