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By: Dr I. Satya SunDaram

Rice: New PRactices MatteRFd h n unprdbl fllou of lm hng, indn grulurl rrh nr

nd o bom mor prov. ind hf pl food r, hh onum mmn

moun of r. Drough-rn r rn, rob r ulvon nd ohr n pr-

nd o b md mnrm.

Rice is the staple food for

more than half of theworlds population. It is

a water-intensive crop.

Around 70 per cent of

the water used for agriculture is de-

voted to the rice crop. Each kilogram

of rice produced with irrigation con-

sumes 3000-5000 litres of water. In

fact, the shortage of water is a major

constraint in raising rice outputs.

In India, rice is grown over ap-

proximately 42 million hectares in

four major eco-systems, namely, ir-

rigated land, rain-fed lowlands, rain-

fed highlands and flood prone ecosys-tems. No other country in the world

has such diversity in rice ecosystems.

Asia is the biggest rice producer ac-

counting for 90 per cent of the worlds

production and consumption. Accord-

ing to the FAO, the global rice trade

grew by 2.5 per cent in 2012 to a new

high of 37.3 million tonnes.

Climate changea shift in rain-

fall pattern, the melting of the polar

ice caps, the rise in sea levels, etcis

likely to adversely affect food grain

production, including that of rice.The adaptability of the cropping sys-

tem to climate change is a challenge

we need to face.

current trends

There has been some improve-

ment in rice yields. The Economic

Survey 2011-12 has observed that

during the decade ended 2011-12,

there was a growth in the area un-

der rice cultivation of 0.04 per cent,while the growth in production and

yield was 1.72 per cent and 1.68 per

cent, respectively.

Studies show that hybrid seeds

will help raise rice productivity. Rice

output in India can be raised at least

by 15 to 20 per cent through the in-

creased use of hybrid seeds. The use

of high-yielding varieties is currently

much lower in rice cultivation than

for other crops. According to the US

Department of Agriculture, in the2012-13 season, only 3 per cent of

Indias rice was produced through

hybrid seeds. We have to develop

hybrids with improved productivity

and acceptable cooking quality re-

quirements. Currently, hybrids are

limited to the northern and eastern

parts of India.

Rie exports

India allowed its private traders

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SepTembeR 2013 FACTS FOR YOU 13

to export rice in 2011, lifting a more

than two-year-long ban on exports.

The measure enabled private traders

to push Indian rice in traditional as

well as new markets at a price that

was much lower than the prevailing

rates, thereby leading to a surge in

exports.

According to FAO, India had a re-

cord exportable cereal surplus of al-

most 15.7 million tonnes in 2012-13,

which included 7.7 million tonnesof rice, about five million tonnes of

wheat and three million tonnes of

corn.

Rice exports touched a level of ap-

proximately 10 million tonnes during

the year 2012-13. Of this, basmati

rice alone accounted for 3.3 million

tonnes. There has been an increase

in basmati acreage in Punjab and

Haryana, and non-basmati acreage in

Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Delayed payment from Iran and

contamination concerns lowered

Indias exports for the 2012-13 sea-

son to 3.3 million tonnes. With the

release of new basmati varieties in

the 2013-14 season, and government

subsidies, basmati exports couldtouch the 4 million tonne mark in

2013-14.

Prices for Indian basmati re-

mained weak during 2012-13, ensur-

ing increased demand for Indian bas-

mati rice, which was quoted at $1150

to $1400 a tonne, and non-basmati

rice for $390 to $650 a tonne.

Non-basmati rice exports from

India are estimated to have touched

7 to 7.6 million tonnes in 2012-13.

However, exporters of non-basmatirice are not happy, as Thailand is

holding over 17 million tonnes of

rice, and rice cultivated in Vietnam

and Myanmar is also available at

lower prices. If Thailand offloads its

stocks in the international market,

India will be in trouble.

According to FAO, India was

the worlds biggest rice exporter in

2012. It has exported almost 9 mil-

lion tonnes of rice, bypassing the

traditional leader, Thailand. How-

ever, the FAO has observed that In-

dia may face difficulties in 2013 for

its rice exports because of dropping

prices in the international markets.

Measures that needto be adopted

The Indian government must

encourage the System of Rice In-

tensification (SRI) method of pad-

dy cultivation. A farmer from the

Kancheepuram district of Tamil

Nadu, practising the SRI method,

used the seed variety NLR 34449

and realised a yield of 45 bags per

acre. The net income generated was

Rs 28,250 per acre. In Tamil Nadu,intensive organic farming practices,

combined with SRI techniques, have

given bumper yields. The most popu-

lar seed variety is J18.

Farmers who embark on the SRI

technique of rice farming usually

go in for short-stature, high-tiller-

ing and non-lodging variety of rice.

Some use a stall growing variety, viz,

118, which has a tendency to lodge.

The SRI method saves water.

It is becoming popular in Andhra

aeobic rice

The recently coined term aerobic rice refers to high-yielding rice grown in non-

puddle, aerobic soil. Aerobic rice combines the characteristics of both the upland and

the high-yielding lowland varieties.Aerobic rice is a boon to water-starved regions. On an average, the yield of aerobic

rice is 27 to 35 per cent lower than that of lowland rice. However, water use is 55.6

per cent lower for aerobic rice than for lowland rice.

The new approach aims to grow rice like an upland crop such as wheat on non-

puddled aerobic soils. This way of growing rice saves water by eliminating continual

seepage and percolation, reducing evaporation, and eliminating wetland preparation.

The new system requires the development of a new cultivar type combining moder-

ate drought tolerance, high rates of tillering, a high harvest index and lodging resist-

ance.

Aerobic yields vary from 4.5 to 6.5 tonnes per hectare, which is about double that

of traditional upland varieties.

Upland crops are grown in non-puddled, aerobic soil without standing water.Irrigation brings the soil water content in the root zone up to field capacity after it

has reached a certain lower threshold. Of course, there are several strains of rice

that grow well with little water. They possess strong and vigorous root systems

that absorb moisture from below the surface. Aerobic rice is ideal wherever there is

water scarcity.

Table I

Idis rice Podciod Podcivi

Year Production(milliontonnes)

Productivity(kg/ha)

1980-81 53.60 1336

1990-91 74.30 1740

1999-2000 89.70 1986

2000-01 85.00 1901

2001-02 93.30 2079

2002-03 72.66 1744

2003-04 89.50 2078

2004-05 83.13 1984

2005-06 91.79 2102

2006-07 93.36 2131

2007-08 96.69 2202

2008-09 99.18 2178

2009-10 89.13 2125

2010-11 95.98 2240

2011-12 105.31 NA

2012-13* 101.80 NA

*Estimates

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Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other

states. It has been successfully tried

out in about 40 countries. The essen-

tial features of this method include:

lower seed rate (5 kg/ha), plantation

of young seedlings of 15 days, a wid-

er spacing (22.5 to 25 cm), regular

mechanical weeding and use of less

water (no flooding) to realise higher

yields. SRI can easily double the pre-sent rice yields. And there is no need

for herbicide. There is also a reduc-

tion in labour requirements because

of mechanical weeding, apart from a

higher income.

The Central Rice Research Insti-

tute, Cuttack, in collaboration with

the International Rice Research

Institute, released the rice variety,

Swarna Sab 1, which can withstand

complete submergence for up to two

weeks and still give an assured yield

of 3.5 tonnes/ha. Other high-yielding

varieties perish under similar condi-

tions.

Mechanisation is the only possi-

ble way to sustain agriculture in ourcountry. In some areas, there is the

problem of labour shortage, besides

water scarcity. Often, farmers trans-

plant aged seedlings (30 to 50 days),

which leads to low yields.

Many machines are now avail-

able for cultivation. The drum seed-

era wetland farming implement

is of great help to the rice farming

community to sow the germinated

seeds in a levelled field. The drum-

seeder has been developed by the In-ternational Rice Research Institute,

Philippines and its prototype model

was refined by the Tamil Nadu Agri-

cultural University, Coimbatore.

While enhancing productivity

is important, equally important is

saving water. The Tamil Nadu Ag-

riculture University has developed

a drought resistant variety of rice

for drylands, with the help of the

Rockfeller Foundation. This vari-

ety is called ANNA-4. The seedlingscan withstand even long periods of

drought. It consumes 75 per cent

less water than regular varieties,

and has a yield of 3.2 tonnes per

hectare compared to 1.2 tonnes for

other varieties.

Experts say India has to shift

rice production from Punjab to the

eastern states of India. This is be-

cause groundwater levels have fallen

alarmingly in Punjab and Haryana.

It is said that these two states mayconcentrate on basmati rice, which is

largely exported. The eastern states

have to concentrate on non-basmati

varieties to meet the domestic de-

mand. In fact, it is suggested that

Punjab farmers should stop produc-

ing paddy, and opt for some other

crops as the situation is serious in

Punjabthe water table is going

down by roughly 33 cm every year.

The author is an economist and a writer

Table III

mjo rice PodcigCoies

(production in million tonnes)

Country 2011-12* 2012-13*

India (Oct-Sep) 104.3 99.8

Indonesia (Jan-Sep) 36.4 37.0

Bangladesh (July-June) 34.0 34.1

Vietnam (Jan-Dec) 16.4 26.7

Thailand (Jan-Dec) 20.5 21.2

World (total) 463.4 464.8

*EstimatesSource: International Grains Council

Table II

Hbid SeedsCospio i Cops

(per cent)

Crop Consumption

Cotton 90-95

Corn 60

Rice 03

Pearl millet 80

Sunflower 95-100