Punjab rice millers meet BJP’s Tarun Chugh

By Vibhor Mohan

The delegation of the Punjab Basmati Rice Millers and Export Association on Wednesday met BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh for playing an important role in getting the issue of minimum export price (MEP) for basmati resolved with the Centre.

During the meeting, the rice millers pointed out that this year, around 6 lakh hectares of area in Punjab has been devoted to Basmati cultivation. Of this, about 40 per cent is allocated to small Basmati varieties such as Pusa 1509 and 1847, and an additional 5 per cent is devoted to variety 1692. This MEP would have affected the farmers, who could not get a fair price for their crops.

Jossan said that the aromatic rice has huge demand in West Asia, and the region accounts for nearly 77% of the total basmati rice exports from India. He added that the association had approached Tarun Chugh, urging him to discuss the issue with Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

Basmati exports from Punjab are expected to pick up again as the Centre has conveyed its decision to reduce the minimum export price (MEP) from $ 1,200 to $ 950 on Monday evening.

This article has been republished from The Times of India