Now Reading: Mushk Budji rice price crashes from ₹25,000 to ₹8,000, farmers
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Mushk Budji rice price crashes from ₹25,000 to ₹8,000, farmers
The price of Kashmir's premium Mushk Budji rice has dropped sharply, from around ₹25,000 per quintal to between ₹6,000 and ₹8,000, leaving farmers with unsold stock. The aromatic variety, a staple at…
The price of Kashmir's premium Mushk Budji rice has dropped sharply, from around ₹25,000 per quintal to between ₹6,000 and ₹8,000, leaving farmers with unsold stock. The aromatic variety, a staple at weddings and special occasions, has seen a collapse in market rates despite its traditional demand.
Farmers in Sagam, Kokernag, considered the best natural area for its cultivation, have urged authorities to step in with better market support and remunerative prices. They warn the decline could threaten the survival of the heritage crop, which carries a Geographical Indication tag.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mushk Budji, a traditional variety of rice with a Geographical Indication tag, was once a niche export earner for Jammu and Kashmir. The price collapse from ₹25,000 to as low as ₹6,000 per quintal suggests a severe demand-supply mismatch, possibly due to a bumper harvest or competition from cheaper aromatic Basmati. Under the government's Minimum Support Price framework, notified crops get a floor price, Mushk Budji is not among them, leaving growers exposed to market vagaries. The Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing Board, which sets rates at mandis, is the body farmers are calling on for intervention. Without a procurement mechanism, this heritage crop risks being abandoned for high-yield varieties, eroding Kashmir's culinary identity. The state's Kharif marketing season runs through November, making the next three months critical for any price-stabilisation move.
Source: greaterkashmir.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
