Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday urged the Union Government to reduce the minimum exports price (MEP) of basmati from 950 dollars per tonne to 750 dollars per tonne to ensure a better price for Basmati farmers as well as ensure competitiveness of the variety in the international market.
“Even though a bumper harvest was expected this year, Basmati farmers would not be benefitted from the same in case the government did not review the MEP for the rice variety. This is also necessary to fulfil the government’s intention to double farmers income,” he said.
Sukhbir said that Basmati exporters were in no position to purchase the variety from farmers this year because their godowns were full due to restrictive export policies since the last two years. “The industrialists are not able to export at the current MEP because Pakistan is exporting the product at an MEP of 750 dollars per tonne, which affected the international basmati market and caused uncertainty,” he added.
Sukhbir simultaneously called for the removal of a ban on the export of non-Basmati rice as well as the 20 percent duty imposed on the export of parboiled rice.
