Punjab rice exporters not to buy paddy
Rice exporters in Punjab and Haryana have decided to stay away from purchase of paddy from the 1,522 procurement centres in Punjab.
By Madhvi Sally, TNN |
CHANDIGARH: Rice exporters in Punjab and Haryana have decided to stay away from purchase of paddy from the 1,522 procurement centres in Punjab and 179 mandis in Haryana from Wednesday, in protest against the government’s decision to ban export of non-Basmati rice.
The exporters said if FCI and other government agencies are unable to procure quality rice, the government should ban the export of only the particular rice varieties required by agencies. As an alternative measure, they said, the government could fix a minimum export price of $400-500 FOB per tonne.
Speaking to ET, Vijay Setia, president of All India Rice Exporters Association, said: “No grace period has been given to exporters whose shipments were on transit either at Kandla and Kakinada port. The stock at the ports should either be loaded onto ships or transit orders made before October 9 should be honoured by GoI.” He further said the decision to allow export of only white, milled basmati rice and not the brown and parboiled rice affected more than 95% of the rice stock. “The industry is shocked,” Setia said.
Sharbati and 1,121 varieties are fetching $650-1,200 FOB per tonne, and the farmer is getting Rs 1,600-Rs 1,800 per quintal for Sharbati and Rs 2,000-2,200 per quintal for 1,121. With the government order, the prices have come down by Rs 50-Rs 100 per quintal.
The exporters said they are expecting a stock of 2.5-2.75 crore bags, each weighing 50 kg, of 1,121 variety and 3.5 crore bags of 60 kg each of Sharbati variety from Punjab, Haryana and UP during this season.
In Amritsar, K R S Sobti of Devasingh Sham Singh said, “With high stock holding of Sharbati and 1121, the exporter would be unable to sell in the domestic market, and will have to suffer heavy losses. We have lost orders and credibility in the eyes of our buyers largely in Iran, Dubai and the Middle East.”
The exporters said if FCI and other government agencies are unable to procure quality rice, the government should ban the export of only the particular rice varieties required by agencies. As an alternative measure, they said, the government could fix a minimum export price of $400-500 FOB per tonne.
Speaking to ET, Vijay Setia, president of All India Rice Exporters Association, said: “No grace period has been given to exporters whose shipments were on transit either at Kandla and Kakinada port. The stock at the ports should either be loaded onto ships or transit orders made before October 9 should be honoured by GoI.” He further said the decision to allow export of only white, milled basmati rice and not the brown and parboiled rice affected more than 95% of the rice stock. “The industry is shocked,” Setia said.
Sharbati and 1,121 varieties are fetching $650-1,200 FOB per tonne, and the farmer is getting Rs 1,600-Rs 1,800 per quintal for Sharbati and Rs 2,000-2,200 per quintal for 1,121. With the government order, the prices have come down by Rs 50-Rs 100 per quintal.
The exporters said they are expecting a stock of 2.5-2.75 crore bags, each weighing 50 kg, of 1,121 variety and 3.5 crore bags of 60 kg each of Sharbati variety from Punjab, Haryana and UP during this season.
In Amritsar, K R S Sobti of Devasingh Sham Singh said, “With high stock holding of Sharbati and 1121, the exporter would be unable to sell in the domestic market, and will have to suffer heavy losses. We have lost orders and credibility in the eyes of our buyers largely in Iran, Dubai and the Middle East.”
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