Rice Crisis

Rice Crisis

Subject: Geography

Section: Economic Geography

Context: While overall crop coverage has risen since last year that of rice is down

Concept:

Rice Cultivation:

It is India’s largest agricultural crop (accounting for over 40% of the total food grain output)

• India is the world’s biggest exporter of rice
• Rice is both a kharif (monsoon) and rabi (winter-spring) season crop
• India is the 2nd largest rice producer
• Rice crop requires hot and humid climatic conditions for its cultivation
• It is suited for the regions where abundant water supply, high humid and prolonged sunshine is available
• The ideal temperature required throughout the life period of the crop ranges from 20 degree to 40 degree Celsius
• West Bengal is the largest rice producer followed by Uttar Pradesh and Punjab

Puddled transplantation method

• In the traditional method, young paddy plants are raised by farmers in nurseries first and then these plants are uprooted and transplanted in a puddled field.
• In the traditional puddled transplantation method, fields are flooded at the time of transplantation and for 30-35 days after that, and the stagnant water prevents the growth of weeds to a large extent

‘Sanda’ double-transplanting method

• In eastern UP, farmers with access to basic irrigation under conditions of delayed rainfall practice this method of cultivation
• In this ,the seedlings are uprooted after 25 days in the nursery and replanted in a puddled field that is only about twice the former’s area
• The plants after establishment begin tillering and are, thus, rejuvenated for the next 10-15 days. When the rains come, they are again uprooted and replanted in the main field 10 times the size of the original nursery
• Paddy yields under this method is better than regular one-step transplanting
• The reason for it is that the Sanda plants have already tillered and their establishment in the main field would be near 100% with little mortality.
• Yields are 15-20% more, but that is offset by higher costs because of transplanting labour having to be paid twice