Rice production: mixed bag

India is developing as a top series of the world (over 140 million tons). These are very good news. A rice buffer of 55 to 65 million tons broke off hunger (with extreme poverty only 2.3 percent of the population, according to estimates by the World Bank, which were derived from the data on the consumer survey of household consumers). As the HCES data protect, the food dominated by rice has enabled the rural population to increase discretionary consumption on over 80 Crore. However, this is associated with a price: the ecological costs for the cultivation of rice.

The challenge is now to produce the same paddy requirements (in view of the needs of nutritional security), with fewer water and inputs being used. In this regard, “genes processed” varieties promise existing tribes that are intended to ensure that 10 million tons are produced more paddy to promise five million less hectares than at the moment. You need to need tires and less water early, increase the yield and are drought. However, these types of seeds should be assessed for small farmers at affordable prices. Direct rice, which, as the term indicates, eliminates the transplant, offers similar advantages as SRI (system of travel intensification). However, these require a certain level of ground proposal in terms of texture and organic content. In addition to the promotion of these methods (SRI may not have received the thrust that it deserves), indigenous varieties for their resistance to weather extremes and their nutritional value must be revived.

As its own studies indicate, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research does not appear to be broken out of the paradigm of the Green Revolution in order to adequately concentrate on climate -resistant and sustainable tribes. Despite the publication of such tribes recently, good old Sona Masuri and his variants fluctuate. The production of a kilogram of rice could require more than 3,500 liters of water. Since India exports almost 20 million tons of rice in the financial year (14 million non-basmati), this is an export of large amounts of water. The use of rice for the production of ethanol corresponds to ironic energy consumption (water from the ground) and water to produce energy. Punjab, the third largest rice product, has grown more of the harvest than he was supposed to exhaust his water table. The same applies to dry regions in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

In this scenario, oil seeds and impulses have to get the top priority. Essöle ($ 17.3 billion) and impulses (5.4 billion US dollars) touched $ 25 billion in the financial year almost $ 23 billion. The increase in rice areas from 44.1 million hectares in financial year 15 to 47.8 MH in the GJ24 can be made more attractive by the cultivation of legumes and oil seeds. In the absence of timely procurement, the increase in minimum support prices have proven to be ineffective. The firmly anchored status quo of systemic support for rice and wheat at the expense of other plants must be disturbed.

Published on May 23, 2025