Iran and America are fighting and missiles are attacking one another. War clouds are getting darker and darker. The effect of war is being felt in faraway Punjab. Yes. Iran-US war has the unlikeliest consequence in Punjab. The Basmati rice farmers of Punjab are hit by the war.
The reason? Iran imposts Basmati rice, Out of the total exported Basmati, Iran alone takes up to 30 per cent. With the war clouds hovering over Iran, the imports have come down. Due to this war, the people in Iran are not buying Basmati. To add to the woes, the European Union has stopped importing Basmati rice from India as it has a higher amount of pesticides. This is double whammy for the basmati rice producers. On one hand, the business in Iran has slumped and the exports to EU have stopped. India exports Basmati rice worth Rs 36000 crore to over 100 countries in the world. It has now come down by 50 percent. Iran imports 14 lakh tonnes of basmati rice worth Rs 140000 crore every year.
The fall in exports to Iran has started in May last year, when Iran suffered sanctions. The Basmati exporters are a worried lot these days as the exports have gone down considerably.
The reason? Iran imposts Basmati rice, Out of the total exported Basmati, Iran alone takes up to 30 per cent. With the war clouds hovering over Iran, the imports have come down. Due to this war, the people in Iran are not buying Basmati. To add to the woes, the European Union has stopped importing Basmati rice from India as it has a higher amount of pesticides. This is double whammy for the basmati rice producers. On one hand, the business in Iran has slumped and the exports to EU have stopped. India exports Basmati rice worth Rs 36000 crore to over 100 countries in the world. It has now come down by 50 percent. Iran imports 14 lakh tonnes of basmati rice worth Rs 140000 crore every year.
The fall in exports to Iran has started in May last year, when Iran suffered sanctions. The Basmati exporters are a worried lot these days as the exports have gone down considerably.