Rice

Rice is grown in many regions across India. For about 65% of the people living in India, rice is a staple food for them. Rice is essential to life in India. It is a part of nearly every meal, and it is grown on a majority of the rural farms.

The god Shiva called rice Vrihi, in Sanskrit. India is one of the original centres of rice cultivation.

The rice harvesting area in India is the world's largest. Indian rice cultivation is found in all states, but West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Bihar are the major producing states. The early Kharif growing season lasts from March-May to June-October; the mid-Kharif season from June-October to November-February, and the Rabi season from November-February to March-June.

About 600 improved varieties of indica rice have been released for cultivation since 1965, but Basmati rice is still planted over large areas. Rice-based production systems provide the main income and employment for more than 50 million households.

Rice is the staple food for 65% of the total population in India. The Indian population was about 1 billion people in 2000 and is still growing at a high rate (1.7% per year). Although the country exports several varieties of rice, many scientists have expressed concern that current Indian rice production techniques cannot sustain the growing domestic population. India has a large number of rice dishes and many of them are very simple to prepare. Indian pilaf rice is very flavourful and fluffy when cooked with Basmati rice.

India is the world's second largest producer of white rice, accounting for 80% of all world rice production. Rice is India's preeminent crop, and is the staple food of the people of the eastern and southern parts of the country. Production increased from 53.6 million tons in FY 1980 to 74.6 million tons in FY 1990, a 39 percent increase over the decade. By FY 1992, rice production had reached 111 million tons, second in the world only to China with its 182 million tons. Since 1950 the increase has been more than 350 percent. Most of this increase was the result of an increase in yields; the number of hectares increased only 40 percent during this period. Yields increased from 1,336 kilograms per hectare in FY 1980 to 1,751 kilograms per hectare in FY 1990. The per-hectare yield increased more than 262 percent between 1950 and 1992. Andhra Pradesh is the top most rice-producing state in the country.

Some important facts about rice in Indian Scenario are as:

Agriculture is the main source of income for families in India. Farms cover over half the land and almost three-quarters of that land is used to grow the two major grains: rice and wheat.

India is the second leading producer of rice in the entire world, preceded only by China.

India's annual rice production is around 85-90 million tons. Annual consumption, is around 85 million tons.

In India, Rice is cultivated in both seasons - Winter and Summer.

West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Karnataka and Haryana are the major producing states. More than 50% of total production comes from the first four states.

Food Corporation of India purchases around 20 to 25% of the total rice production in the country both under levy from the rice mills and directly in the form of paddy from the farmers at Minimum Support Prices announced by the Govt.

More than 4000 varieties of rice are grown in India.

India is the world's largest exporter of Basmati rice to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East Countries, Europe, and the United States.

India has the potential to export one million tons of Basmati rice.

Major destinations for Indian non-basmati, white/parboiled rice are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Nigeria, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and other African countries.

India's population is expected to be 1.2 billion by 2012. The demand for rice in India is projected at 128 million tonnes for the year 2012 and will require a production level of 3,000 kg/ha significantly greater than the present average yield of 1,930 kg/ha.

Major constraints to rice production that India faces are land, water, labour and other inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides, and even high quality germplasm, without affecting the already degraded and stressed agricultural environment. The problems/constraints in rice production vary from state to state and area to area.

Some of the major problems in rice cultivation

About 78% of the farmers are small and marginal in the country and they are poor in resource.

The problems of flash floods, water logging/ submergence due to poor drainage are very common in East India.

Continuous use of traditional varieties due to the non-availability of seeds and farmers lack of awareness about high yielding varieties.

Low soil fertility due to soil erosion resulting in loss of plant nutrients and moisture.

Low and imbalanced use of fertilizers, low use efficiency of applied fertilizers particularly in the North-Eastern and Eastern States.

The Eastern region experiences high rainfall and severe flood almost every year which lead to heavy loss.

Heavy infestation of weeds and insects/pests.

Delay in monsoon onset often results in delayed and prolong transplanting and sub-optimum plant population (Mostly in rainfed lowlands).

In the years of scanty or adverse distribution of rainfall, the crop fails owing to drought etc.