Why in the
News?
India has banned the export of
non-basmati white rice in a move to control the price rise in the domestic
market.
Rice Production
in India:
1. Rice -A staple
food
a. Serves as a
staple food for more than 65% of population in India.
b. Rice ecosystems
in India are grouped into:
i.
Irrigated Rice Eco System
·
Accounting for about 49.5% of the total area
under rice crop in the country
·
Irrigation is the main source of water in the
dry season and is used to supplement rainfall in the wet season
·
The cropping pattern shall include:
rice-rice, rice-rice-rice, and rice-wheat
ii.
Rainfed Rice Ecosystem:
·
Practiced in the areas with rainfall
<1000mm and scope of irrigation is limited.
·
The productivity is low due to uncertainty in
the availability of water.
iii.
Rainfed Upland Rice Ecosystem
·
Accounts for 13.5% of the total area under
rice crop in the country.
·
Upland rice is mostly directly seeded with
minimal inputs resulting in very low productivity.
iv.
Rainfed Lowland Rice Ecosystem
·
Accounts for 32.4 % of the total area under
rice crop in the country
·
The rice saplings are usually transplanted to
bunded fields that retains water.
·
Production is highly variable.
v.
Flood Prone Rice Ecosystem
·
Accounts for 11.4 % of total rice grown area
is flood prone in India.
·
Flood-prone rice is adapted to conditions of
temporary submergence of 1-10 days, or long periods (1-5 months) of standing
water
·
During the flooding period the land may be
left fallow or used for alternative purposes such as fish and shrimp farming.
c. Conditions for
Growth of Rice:
i. Rice is grown under varying conditions in
India from 8°N to 30°N latitude and from sea level to about 2,500 metre
altitude.
ii. It is a tropical plant and requires high heat
and high humidity for its successful growth.
iii. The temperature should be fairly high at mean
monthly of 24°C.
·
20°-22°C at the time of sowing
·
23-25°C during growth
·
5°-30°C at the harvesting time.
iv.
The average annual rainfall required for rice
is 150 cm.
v. Rice can be grown on a variety of soils
including silts, loams and gravels and can tolerate acidic as well as alkaline
soils & Black lava soil.
vi. Requires large supply of cheap labour for its
successful cultivation.
d. Production of
Rice:
i.
India is the second largest producer and consumer
of rice in the world after China.
ii.
Accounts for 17.95 percent of the world's
total rice production.
iii.
Rice is grown in almost all parts of the
country except,
·
Higher parts of the Himalayan ranges
exceeding 2,500 metres altitude
·
Marusthali part
of Rajasthan
·
Kachchh & Saurashtra
·
Malwa
and Marathwada regions.
iv.
Rice producing areas mainly include the lower
and the middle Ganga Plains, the east and the west Coastal Plains, the
Brahmaputra valley and parts of the Peninsular plateau.
v.
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have
assumed considerable importance after the introduction of the Green Revolution.
