Punjab's Basmati Cultivation Up 12.58%, DSR Area Rises 46.5%

Punjab has registered an increase in basmati cultivation area by 12.58 per cent during this kharif season. This has been attributed to crop diversification launched by the state government.

The area under cultivation of long-grain rice has risen to 6.71 lakh hectares at present from 5.96 lakh hectares during the last season. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian said that Amritsar district led the way with 1.46 lakh hectares dedicated to this aromatic rice.

Muktsar came second with 1.10 lakh hectares, followed by Fazilka (85,000 hectares), Tarn Taran (72,000 hectares) and Sangrur (50,000 hectares) approximately.

An official release quoting Khudian said there was a substantial 46.5 per cent growth in the area under Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) compared to last year. The area cultivated using the water-saving DSR method increased to over 2.52 lakh acres from 1.72 lakh acres in the Kharif season of 2023, the minister said.

He pointed out that the Punjab government has prohibited the use of 10 pesticides on basmati to enhance the export quality of the aromatic crop to a world-class standard.