Area under Basmati cultivation rises 16 percent in Punjab

Listing district-wise figures of Basmati cultivation, Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Khudian said after Amritsar Muktsar, Fazilka, and Tarn Taran registered maximum cultivation of basmati on 90,000 hectares, 78,800 hectares and 52,000 hectares, respectively.

Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Khudian on Friday said that the state has witnessed a 16% increase in the area under the basmati cultivation this kharif season. Khudian said Amritsar topped the chart with 1.35 lakh hectares of area sown under the long-grain rice. He informed that during this kharif season, the basmati has been sown at 5.74 lakh hectares till August 14, out of the total paddy area of 31.88 lakh hectares. “During the kharif season 2022-23, the total area sown under paddy was 31.68 lakh hectares, out of which area under basmati was 4.95 lakh hectares,” he added.

In this file photo taken on June 19, 2023, farmers plant rice saplings in a paddy field on the outskirts of Amritsar. (AFP)

Listing district-wise figures of Basmati cultivation, Khudian said after Amritsar Muktsar, Fazilka, and Tarn Taran registered maximum cultivation of basmati on 90,000 hectares, 78,800 hectares and 52,000 hectares, respectively. Amritsar district registered an increase of 24,000 hectares in the area under basmati cultivation. Muktsar saw an increase of 21,500 hectares followed by 18,000 hectares in Gurdaspur.