Farmers are adamant, demand removal of ban on export of Basmati rice

Delhi. The central government had imposed a conditional ban on the export of Basmati rice last month, but now farmers are demanding its removal. Farmers are giving the argument behind this that Basmati rice is not a food item for the poor, hence the ban on it is unjustified. They argue that the government’s move to impose minimum export price restrictions is only benefiting big traders and rice mill owners. The Indian Express spoke to Satyawan Sehrawat, a 56-year-old farmer from Dariapur Kalan in North-West Delhi, in this regard, in which he said, “Basmati is not the rice of the poor. Why is there a ban on its export? Satyawan has planted four Basmati varieties – Pusa 1847, 1692, 1509 and 1885 – on about 50 acres of land. 20 acres of land is his own and the rest is taken on lease. These are mostly of 90-100 days duration. The sowing date of paddy is between 10 June and 1 July. The worry for Sehrawat and farmers like him is that now the crop is about to be harvested in the next few weeks but the demand from exporters is weak because the government has imposed a cap on the export price. In such a situation, farmers are worried about who will buy their produce in case of weak demand. Farmers are also worried that in case of non-purchase, they will have to keep the produce till the next crop and if this happens then the farmers will be in trouble as they will have to buy inputs for the next season, repay the loan of the current crop and immediately meet the domestic needs. Money is needed to meet expenses.