Punjab’s Basmati rice production is expected to witness a significant decline this year, as till date only 19.19 lakh tonnes have arrived in the mandis against 26.25 lakh tonnes last year by this time – a dip of around 27 per cent. Last year’s total arrival was 33.02 lakh tonnes. Experts are estimating around 25 lakh tonnes of production this year – a drop of 8 lakh tonnes from last year and 1 lakh tonne less than the 2023 output, which was 26 lakh tonnes. This reduction comes despite the state maintaining almost the same cultivated area as last season.

According to officials, two major factors are behind the fall in production: extensive crop damage caused by floods and a sharp decline in per-acre yield due to heavy rainfall.

Punjab Agriculture Department’s field reports indicate th

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