Rice cultivation area in Punjab surges 18.9pc

MULTAN: In a significant agricultural shift, Punjab is poised to increase its cultivation of paddy this year, predominantly due to encouraging incentives for growers and consistent policy towards the sector.

The crop is expected to be harvested from October 1 in rice-producing districts across Punjab. The Punjab rice-producing districts demonstrate an unusual increase in cultivation area aimed at anti-smog campaigns and inflated inputs prices but the growers are determined to enhance cultivation area, crop reporting statistics said.

Pakistan rice export made a historic hit during the last fiscal year (2023-24) and exported rice worth $ 3.88 billion mainly because of the ban on Indian rice export, rice export statistics said. Growers say the price of rice increased 25pc to 30pc last year, which encouraged them to enhance the cultivation area. However, the non-basmati variety of rice showed a decline in sowing and growers preferred basmati rice cultivation. Four districts in the Sargodha division show the highest increase in rice cultivation. Faisalabad is the second division across Punjab where rice cultivation witnessed the highest increase after Sagodha and the South Punjab region ranks third in the increase in rice cultivation area, crop statistics said.

The Punjab Crop Reporting statistics have established that in the crop season 2023-24 an 18.9pc increase in rice cultivation area is increased in Punjab compared to crop season 2022-23 while 16.9pc under cultivation area increased in North Punjab during the said period.