Anantnag, Aug 18: Kashmir’s famed aromatic rice variety Mushk Budji, which secured a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2023, is facing a serious market crisis, with farmers reporting a sharp fall in prices, weak demand and large quantities of unsold produce.

Farmers in Sagam, a traditional hub of Mushk Budji cultivation in Anantnag, said the expansion of the crop into areas they consider unsuitable for maintaining its distinctive quality has affected its premium identity and market value.
Once fetching ₹20,000–25,000 per quintal, premium Mushk Budji is now reportedly selling for just ₹10,000–15,000 per quintal. Farmers said substantial quantities from last year remain unsold amid declining demand.
Haji Ghulam Qadir Wani, a Sagam farmer and member of the Sagam Mushk Budji Farmer Producer Company (FPC), said around 800 quintals of last year’s stock were still lying in storage, raising concerns over deterioration.
According to Wani, nearly 730 families in the area cultivate Mushk Budji, producing around 8,000 quintals annually. However, falling prices have prompted several growers to switch to other rice varieties this year, shrinking the area under the traditional crop.
Farmers have urged the government to identify and protect agro-climatically suitable production zones, particularly traditional centres such as Sagam, arguing that unrestricted expansion could dilute the variety’s aroma, taste and premium quality.
They have also sought the release of ₹10 lakh reportedly sanctioned for the FPC, which they propose to use for establishing a dedicated Mushk Budji rice mill in Sagam. Local processing, packaging, branding and value addition, they believe, could help revive the variety’s market.
Farmer Bashir Ahmed Malik warned that continued price erosion and production uncertainty could threaten the centuries-old cultivation tradition.
The FPC said a proposed agreement to export around 20 tonnes of Mushk Budji to Japan also failed to materialise, adding to concerns over the variety’s market prospects.
Chief Agriculture Officer Anantnag Shahnawaz Hussain Shah said the government was working to expand cultivation and improve market access. He said farmers were being connected directly with traders to help them secure better prices and added that a dedicated Mushk Budji rice mill would soon be established in Sagam.
Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar said efforts were underway to strengthen the market for the variety. He maintained that cultivation would not be confined to a single area and noted that Mushk Budji had also reached parts of North Kashmir.
For farmers, the challenge is to balance expansion with quality. Without stronger market linkages, scientific zoning, processing facilities and premium branding, Kashmir’s GI-tagged aromatic rice could risk losing the very distinction that made it valuable.