Low exports, grower woes mar paddy season

According to The Express Tribune, Punjab Agriculture Secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian told a Rice Management Committee meeting on Saturday that paddy was grown across 6.7 million acres this season. He described Basmati as the province's identity and asked officials to help farmers with modern harvesting and machine harvesting to cut crop losses. Those claims sit against falling exports and unresolved grower complaints.

The US Department of Agriculture projects Pakistan's rice exports for the current marketing year at 4.8 million tons, 8% below the level of last year. Trade pressures cited include a firmer rupee, pricier export financing, regulatory obstacles and rivalry from India, which has scrapped the floor price on Basmati exports. Basmati rates held at roughly $1,100 a ton until mid-year, while exportable stocks have been shrinking since April.

On residue burning, the secretary said the anti-pollution strategy was being implemented as planned and cited 10,000 subsidised super seeders handed to farmers. Independent researchers, by contrast, say 3.6 to 5 million tons of rice residue out of 8.5 million in total are still burnt each winter. A grower argued that renting machinery is no substitute for owning it, and many farmers still find burning cheaper. Exporters also flagged financing costs, but association representatives did not publicly answer questions at the meeting.