Farmers take up basmati cultivation in Vidharbha

At a time when the going price of quality Basmati rice is about Rs 200 a kg, the former Maharashtra public works minister Nitin Gadkari is planning it to sell basmati rice for a song: between Rs 40-45 a kg.

Unveiling his plans, Gadkari said: "Farmers in the Gondia, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts of the Vidharbha region have, so far, been producing rice using traditional cultivation methods, which neither give good yield nor good prices."

"We approached the farmers through our co-operative society, Central India Consumer Co-Operative Society that runs 15 departmental stores in Vidarbha region, and persuaded them to take up Basmati cultivation. We also assured them about buying their entire produce and share with them technical knowledge in using modern farming methods," said Gadkari.

So far 2,000 farmers have joined the scheme and nearly 15,000 acres of land in these four districts have been brought under Basmati cultivation, he added.

On being asked how he would manage to sell rice at such low prices, Gadkari said: "We would encourage farmers to use organic fertilisers and pesticides and do away with expensive chemical fertilisers, pesticides which often are the lion's share of the cost. Also, these farmers have never received more than Rs 600 a quintal of rice. So even if we were to buy the produce at Rs 1,000 a quintal, farmers' income rises considerably, and we will be able to sell the produce cheaper."

So after grading, packaging, transporting and paying sales tax and octroi, we should be able to sell the rice in Mumbai at around Rs 40 to Rs 45, said Gadkari.

He further said, "We plan to launch our own brand of rice, in the first week of February and hope to sell 25 trucks in the first year."