President Basmati Growers Association (BGA) Hamid Malhi on Monday said rice traders and middlemen in the grain markets of central Punjab have come to the aid of small farmers as they have increased purchase price of basmati paddy to Rs 1500 per maund (40kg).
He said before Eidul-Azha the rice millers and exporters had manipulated the basmati paddy purchase price and brought it down to Rs 1200 per maund. However, the domestic rice traders have aggressively intervened in the market and increased the per maund price by about Rs 300 after Eidul-Azha, which is very encouraging for the rice growers.
He said the cost of inputs used in sowing, growing, maturing and harvesting of the basmati rice crop has increased manifold. If the rice millers and exporters continued manipulation of the price of paddy, then the farmers will stop sowing of exportable cash basmati crop from next year, he warned.
Malhi said that basmati rice production was likely to decline by 20 percent due to lower per acre yield this year. Besides, he said the government had left the poor rice growers at the mercy of market forces and rice millers and stopped its intervention with announcement of minimum procurement price.
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