Basmati rice is one of South Asia's most popular food exports.  
Most of it comes from India and Pakistan where it brings in billions of dollars in revenue every year. But recent floods have ruined crops, driving up prices across the world.

Punjab

Recent monsoon floods have destroyed over 2.2 million hectares of cropland in Pakistan’s Punjab province, severely impacting rice, cotton, and corn harvests. Farmers report that much of their rice crop is now only suitable for animal fodder, resulting in heavy financial losses and leaving many with nothing to harvest for their own consumption.

Basmati rice, a key export for both Pakistan and India, has been particularly affected, leading to billions of dollars in losses for both countries. The floods, combined with already high production costs, are expected to drive up global rice prices. The damage has also disrupted local supply chains and affected markets, with similar destruction reported in Indian Punjab, another major basmati producer.

Floods slash Pakistan’s basmati rice exports, driving up global prices

The recent monsoon floods destroyed more than 2.2 million hectares of cropland, much of it in Pakistan's Punjab province, wiping out harvests and pushing food prices higher. Across the vast region, we see rotting remains of what was rice paddies, cotton and corn fields. The rice harvester moves in the paddy fields trying to recover whatever it can. Haider Ali and his family have waited for many months for the harvest and spent all their savings for better yield, but they say it's now only fit for animal fodder. Our rice crops were badly damaged in the floods. We have suffered heavy losses this year. Nothing could be saved, not even for our own consumption. Farmers across the Punjab were hoping for a bumper harvest, only to see their entire paddy fields washed away by the floods. Kashmati rice is a major foreign exchange earner for both India and Pakistan, but the recent floods have wiped out the crop, and that means billions of dollars of losses for both these countries. These are farming families who feed the nation. Now their land is submerged, their animals are gone, and they're left with nothing. Back at the rice mill, which caters both to local and international markets, it's another busy day of work. The high cost of fertilizer and electricity tariffs was already driving up the cost of production. Now the floods have added an additional cost with a drop in the supply chain. Our rice industry is struggling with high electricity costs and heavy taxation. This makes it very difficult for us to compete with neighboring India, where rice is sold in international markets at much lower prices. Pakistan is the fourth largest rice exporter in the world, and it remains confident of achieving strong rice yield this year, despite the floods that have submerged large swathes of farmlands. The recent floods have impacted the local market as well, in terms of farmers, in terms of the wholesale and the retail market. The yield has been good, as I said earlier, and inshallah, inshallah, we'll be achieving big numbers in terms of countries' export and in terms of local market. The floods have destroyed rice paddies not only in Pakistan, but also in neighboring Indian Punjab. Another major producer of Basmati rice, which is likely to make it even more expensive for consumers here and across the world, Kamal Haider Al Jazeera, Kamoki, Gujranwala, Pakistan.

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