PATIALA:  Farmers in Punjab and Haryana will be benefitted with government's Partially easing the ban on export of non-basmati rice.

Central Government on Thursday allowed shipments of PUSA-1121 variety of the grain, subject to a few restrictions.

The District Agricultural Officer BS Sohal said that the area under paddy cultivation in Punjab is likely to increase by 50,000 hectares against last year's area, on account of higher MSP proposed for the current Kharif season.

"This year, the total area under paddy crop in Punjab will reach 26.50 lakh hectares against 26 lakh hectares brought under the crop last year because of higher MSP proposed for this crop.

Sohal said that PUSA variety was sowed in around 5 % of total plantation but due to demand in Arab Countries this year farmers have planted 15 % this year of this variety of total paddy plantation.

The Punjab government had asked the farmers not to grow paddy before June 10 in view of depleting water table in the state. The state had even introduced Punjab Preservation of Subsoil water Ordinance 2008 to prevent the early plantation of paddy in the state.,
This variety of paddy crop planted at several fields just before the onset of Monsoon in the state so as to protect groundwater table.

PUSA-1121 is an aromatic rice variety which is about 120 cm tall. Having yield of 13.7 quintals per acre, it possesses extra long slender grains with good cooking quality and It has longest cooked rice length among all the aromatic rice varieties recommended for Punjab.

Meanwhile, Punjab-based basmati exporters have hoped an increase in area under basmati and high yield non-basmati varieties in the state as they fetched higher prices of basmati varieties this year.

Farmers this year planted PUSA 1,121 high yielding variety which fetched whopping prices at international market, said president of Punjab Rice Exporters Association Rajiv Setia,"

Experts said that normal rice was sold at around 1000 per quintal and Basmati rice was priced at 3500 per quintal. The PUSA 1121 Variety were sold around 2500 per quintal last year.