Reviving the Basmati Rice Farming Industry in Pakistan

Basmati rice is one of Pakistan’s premium export crops and supports the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom farm in the Punjab. However, in recent years profits have been squeezed for farmers as their traditional techniques such as planting seedlings by hand require costly labor and water inputs, and often result in low yields. The Asian Development Bank recently worked with the Government of the Punjab and rural service providers to introduce farm machinery that directly seeds rice onto paddy fields. In a short time, this technology has helped thousands of basmati farmers to produce more rice at a lower cost.