Rice

The Madras High Court has deferred to Aug 17 the hearing of Madhya Pradesh government’s petition seeking geographical indication tag for basmati grown in the state. The court was supposed to hear this case on Tuesday. The Madhya Pradesh government had filed a fresh petition after Geographical Indication Registry, in March, had rejected the state’s plea to be included among those growers whose variety of rice can be marketed as basmati. Madhya Pradesh has been fighting to claim geographical indication tag for basmati since 2013. Geographical Indication certifies products or crops that have a specific origin and possess qualities or reputation pertaining to that geographical origin, such as Darjeeling Tea, Nagpur Orange and Mysore Silk. The state had demanded inclusion of a few of its districts–Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Sheopur, Datia, Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Hoshangabad, Jabalpur and Narsingpur–under the regions suitable for cultivation of basmati.

The area under the paddy crop across the country this kharif season was at 26.27 mln ha as of Thursday, down 4.2% on year. The area under paddy was also below the average of 26.93 mln ha for the period. Though paddy sowing in the country was lower on year, the lag in acreage has reduced from over 12% a week ago. The fall in acreage can be attributed to lower sowing in top producers Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Weak monsoon rains in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh also contributed to the fall in acreage.

Indias export of pulses have jumped 115.3% on year to 100,982 tn in Apr-Jun, while exports of other cereals also surged 180.1% to 431,562 tn during the same period. However, basmati rise export fell 7% on year to 1.17 mln tn, while non-basmati rice exports rose to nearly 2 mln tn, up 12.6% on year. Indias export of basmati took a hit after the European Union, a major importer, had reduced the permissible limit of tricyclazole residue in imported rice to 0.01 part per mln from 1 part per mln allowed, effective Jan 1.

Thailand expects to export 11 million tonnes of rice worth $5.6 billion in 2018, higher than an initial forecast. Thailand, the world’s second-largest rice exporter after India, initially expected to export 9.5 million tonnes of rice this year. The association cited growing demand from importing countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, and a weaker baht making Thai rice more competitive, as factors for the expected higher export amount. Thailand exported a record 11.63 million tonnes in 2017.

In order to boost the local output of rice production, Pakistan has cultivated the hybrid rice over 800,000 hectares of land across the country. Pakistan is focusing more on agriculture to fetch foreign exchanges via exports and rice is one of the popular options to do that, the hybrid rice cultivation will give boost to local production as well as the income of small-scale and medium landholders, the area cultivated for hybrid rice is increasing gradually and it will replace the traditional seed cultivation.

According to the data, paddy, a major kharif crop, was sown across 26.3 mln ha, down from 27.4 mln ha a year ago. Subdued rains and delay in arrival of the monsoon in some states have hit sowing in a few regions this year. In the ongoing southwest monsoon season so far, the country has received 442.3 mm of rainfall, against the normal weighted average of 481.3 mm for the period.

As part of the Chief Minister’s ambitious campaign to control stubble burning, the Punjab Agriculture department has embarked upon a massive programme to provide subsidy worth Rs.395 crore, in the current fiscal, for the purchase of 28,641 agro-machines/farm equipment to farmers for the management of paddy residue. Subsidy ranging from 50% to 80% is being provided to the farmers under the scheme. This is part of the Rs. 665 crore subsidy announced by the Captain Amarinder Singh government for 2018-19 and 2019-20. The remaining amount of Rs. 270 crore would be utilized during the next financial year. While around 12,000 machines are being subsidized at 50% for individual farmers, another 5280 agro-machines are being provided to 514 farmer groups and 16655 agro-machines to 3547 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) at a subsidy of 80% to establish Farm Machinery Banks (FMBs) to be used as Custom Hiring Centres.

According to India Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, the overall rain indicated good monsoon in both the states, but district-wise rainfall details revealed that in Punjab, seven out of 22 districts have received deficit rain. Sixteen of a total of 43 districts in Punjab and Haryana have received deficit rainfall, despite having overall normal rainfall in July. Ferozepur and Mansa in Punjab and Panchkula in Haryana are among the worst hit districts in this paddy season. Ferozepur and Mansa have sown rice on 3.12 lakh hectares, including 1.86 lakh hectares in Ferozepur. In Haryana, rice crop is grown in 12-13 lakh hectares. Here, nine districts received less rainfall with Panchkula being the worst hit with 53 per cent deficit at 203.2 mm rain against a normal of 432.6 mm till July 31.

The monsoon fell below expectations in July, which ended with a countrywide rain shortfall of 6%, but late showers in the paddy belts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have improved the overall rainfall distribution. With the monsoon becoming inactive in central and south India, the all-India rainfall deficit grew in the past six days (July 25) from 2% to 6%. However, during the same period, the rain shortfall reduced sharply from 42% to 19% in UP, 46% to 23% in Bihar and 35% to 24% in Jharkhand. Large rain deficits in these states, and West Bengal, have been the main reason for sluggish kharif sowing this year.According to the latest figures released last Friday, paddy sowing was nearly 12% less than the normal for the corresponding period. This was mainly on account of depressed sowing in these four states, where the area under paddy was nearly 27 lakh hectares below the normal for the same period.

Farmers across the country have sown paddy across 19.76 mln ha this kharif season as of Thursday, down 12.4% on year. The area under paddy was also below the average area of 22.40 mln ha for the period. The fall in acreage can be attributed to lower sowing in top growing states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand. Weak monsoon rains in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh slowed the process of sowing. Eastern Uttar Pradesh had received 298.1 mm rainfall during Jun 1-Jul 30, 25% below normal. Overall monsoon rains in eastern and northeastern India during Jun 1-Jul 30 was 555.4 mm, 28% below normal.

With the decision of the State government to provide irrigation facility to the ayacut of Musi project for kharif season, farmers of 42 villages in Suryapet and Nalgonda district under left and right canals are now switching from cotton to paddy cultivation. Out of 35,000 acres of ayacut under left and right flank canals of Musi project, cultivation of paddy was taken up by the farmers in majority of ayacut area in view of irrigation facility.

The Telangana government 30 lakh tons of paddy was expected to be procured from farmers during this years Kharif season in the state and asked its civil supplies department to prepare an action plan for it. A total of 107.92 lakh tons of paddy was purchased from 22.18 lakh farmers during 2016 Kharif, 2017 Rabi and Kharif and 2018 Rabi seasons.

During the period under discussion, Pakistan has improved its rice exports as compared to previous corresponding period. The exports during the period July-June 2016-17 stood at 496,263 metric tons valuing at $453.441 million. Pakistan’s basmati rice have seen a considerable 19.14 percent growth in quantity exported as compared to the previous period. Collectively, 4.106 million tons rice worth $2.073 billion was exported in the last 12 months if the last financial year, however, 3.523 million tons of rice valuing $1.606 billion was recorded during the corresponding previous financial year. The overall growth of rice exports stood at 26.78 percent.