In Punjab’s basmati promotion plan,free international trips for officials

While a few farmers and officers will get to fly abroad for the “exposure”,the others need not be disappointed. The village training camps will accommodate 50 farmers and include refreshments and stationary,all at a cost of just Rs 5,000 per camp. There will also be inter-state visits of groups of 10 farmers and officials priced at Rs 2 lakh,five times a year.

Interestingly,the cost of the subsidies will double from Rs 9 crore to Rs 18 crore next year to Rs 26 crore in the third year. For the next two years,it is pegged at Rs 35 crore but the international visits will cost Rs 40 lakh for all the five years!

Among the likely foreign destinations is the International Rice Research Institute,Manila,in Philippines. The Punjab Farmers’ Commission,which along with the agriculture department is making the diversification plan,said the international visits are yet to get committee’s approval. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also formed a committee to decide a minimum assured price for basmati under Punjab Farmers’ Commission chairman GS Kalkat.

“The proposal of international visits was discussed in the meeting of the committee,but no decision has been taken. It is more important to ensure that farmers switch from parmal paddy to basmati,which will also help save Punjab’s fast-depleting groundwater. Through minimum price,we will ensure their gross income is at least 50 per cent more than what they make from paddy,” he said.

According to sources in the agriculture department,the proposal of international visits was opposed by many,including Kalkat,during the meeting. Advisor,Agriculture,BS Sidhu,when contacted,said the international visits were part of the original proposal. “Now that component has been dropped,” he said.

The international visits also came under fire as basmati is an indigenous rice variety grown in India and neighbouring Pakistan,which exports it to many countries. Internationally,Punjab’s basmati is sought after and fetches higher prices than that of neighbouring Haryana – the traditional basmati hub,which has over 70 per cent of its total paddy area under basmati — owing to its better quality in terms of taste,grain quality and aroma.

As part of the diversification plan,Punjab intends to shift at least two lakh hectares from parmal paddy procured for the central pool towards premium quality basmati this year. Over a period of five years,the plan envisages taking the basmati acreage to10 lakh hectares. Overall,12 lakh hectares will be shifted from paddy towards high-value crops such as basmati,maize,cotton,oilseeds,pulses and agro-forestry to bring down the paddy acreage from present 28 lakh hectares to 16 lakh hectares.