INTERACTIONS WITH RICE EXPORTERS

 A discussion on the strength and challenges in the export of Basmati Rice supported by All India Rice Export Association or AIREA was organized at Swadeshi Mela.

Prominent speakers like Dr. Ritesh Sharma, Principal Scientist, Basmati Export Development Foundation under APEDA, Ministry of Commerce, Dr. Subhash Sharma Director of Centre for Economic Policy Research, CEPR and an expert in agricultural sciences along with Vinod Rishi, Prant Sanyojak, Punjab, Swadeshi Jagran Manch were a part of the discussion. The discussion was moderated by Muni Shankar, Program Director, CEPR. The panel stressed on the fact that Basmati Rice generates maximum foreign exchange as compared to any other agricultural product in India. Hence, the quality of exports should be maintained and this responsibility falls upon the shoulders of Basmati Farmers and the prescribed practices should be followed to grow a good quality basmati. In their view, the greatest fear among farmers is to get their Basmati rejected before export which affects the Basmati Farmers economically. The practices that help maintain the desired quality, begins with choosing the right kind of seed. The characteristics of good quality seeds include higher genetically purity, higher physical purity for certification, possession of good shape, size and color. Various seeds are being developed by agricultural research centres like Indian Agricultural Research Institute or IARI, Punjab Agricultural University or PAU, which are suitable for different areas and are easily available at Government seed centres. The panel advised the farmers to attend workshops and training sessions to understand the process. Transfer of seedlings from the nursery to the rice fields is a critical step, because the nursery helps in producing healthy seedlings, without insect pests which gives better yield. Sowing of plants, proper spacing of saplings, irrigation of fields and use of organic fertilizers and composts, should be done with precision. Saplings should be sown at the correct time to produce the desired fragrance which is a must for Basmati. Panellists suggested the use of manual methods to protect the fields from the constant threat of weeds and pets and also the farmers should be aware about bugs like dragonfly which destroy pests and bugs that are harmful to crops. Chemical pesticides should be the last resort, only when prescribed by the scientist. IPM techniques, namely – Pheromone trap and Trichocard are helpful in removing the bugs. They said that the harvesting process must not be delayed even if the lower section of the crop is not ripe because cutting is best done with hands 8 inches above the ground. The last step is choosing the Rice Mill with modern equipment and best food processing capacity should be first preference of the farmers. The event came to an end after creating excitement among the exporters by discussing practices that would ensure more foreign currency in their pockets.