India, the world’s largest rice producer

Why in News?

India has overtaken China to become the world’s largest rice producer, as announced by the Minister of Agriculture & Farmers welfare.

• Paddy (rice) is a staple crop for much of the world’s population.
• The cycle of growing rice is about 190 days, and the harvest seasons last for at least 30 days.
• Cropping seasons – Rice is majorly a kharif crop, it also grown in different seasons in different parts based on rainfall, temperature, water availability, soil types, and other climatic conditions.
  • Kharif (Monsoon/Wet Season: July–December) – Rice is the primary Kharif crop in India and is grown mainly under rainfed conditions.
  • Rabi (Dry Season: January–June) – Rice is grown in many states during the rabi season, where assured irrigation is available.
  • Zaid Season (Summer: March–June) -Paddy is also cultivated along with other summer crops on assured irrigated land, before the monsoon begins.
• Growing Conditions– Paddy crop is best suited to regions which have high humidity, prolonged sunshine and an assured supply of water.
  • Temperature – 20–35°C, and the maximum temperature that the crop can tolerate is 40-42° C.
  • Rainfall – 100–200 cm annually (or assured irrigation)
  • Soil – Sandy to clay, pH from 3 to 10, organic matter
  • content from 1 to 50% and salt content from 0 to 1 % with high water-retention capacity.
  • Humidity – High humidity favours healthy crop growth.
• Global Production –
  • Highest Producer – India beats China with a total output of 150.18 million tonnes.
  • Highest Exporter – India.
  • Highest Importer – Philippines, followed by Vietnam as the 2^nd-largest importer.

The top 3 rice-producing countries in the world are India (~150 MT), China (~145 MT), and Bangladesh.

• Role of High-yield variety seeds - High-Yielding Variety Seeds (HYV seeds) are seeds of better quality than normal quality seeds.
• Boost crop production with higher output per hectare compared to traditional varieties.
• Enhanced climate resilience in some varieties.
• Has more potential against insects and diseases, and intends to enhance farmers’ income.

References

1. The Indian Express | India, the world’s largest rice producer
2. The Economic Times | India, the world’s largest rice producer