Achieving Sustainability in Rice Production

Why in News ?

In 2025, India overtook China to become the world’s largest rice producer and now accounts for around 40% of global rice exports, with shipments crossing 20 million metric tonnes.

While this underscores India’s central role in global food security, it has also renewed concerns over rice being a highly water-intensive crop, leading to groundwater depletion, environmental degradation, and the phenomenon of “virtual water exports”, especially from water-stressed regions.

Background & Context: Rice, Food Security and the Green Revolution Legacy

Rice has been at the heart of India’s food security strategy since the Green Revolution. Supported by:

• Assured Minimum Support Price (MSP)
• Free or subsidised electricity
• Fertiliser subsidies
• Public procurement and distribution under NFSA

rice cultivation expanded rapidly, particularly in north-western India (Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh).

While this model ensured food self-sufficiency and price stability, it has also created structural distortions, locking farmers into water-intensive monocropping systems ill-suited to local agro-ecological conditions. With climate change intensifying water stress, this rice-centric model is increasingly seen as ecologically unsustainable.

Key Facts Regarding Rice

About Rice

• Staple food for nearly 65% of India’s population
• Occupies about 25% of India’s total cropped area
• India ranks 1st globally in rice production and exports, followed by China and Bangladesh

Climatic and Soil Requirements

• Kharif crop: Sown in June–July, harvested in September–October
• Requires:
  • Temperature above 25°C (optimal: 30°C day / 20°C night)
  • High humidity and rainfall above 100 cm
• Thrives in soils with:
  • pH of 5.5–6.5
  • High water-holding capacity and proper drainage

Cropping Intensity

• Multiple crops annually in regions like southern India and West Bengal
• West Bengal grows Aus, Aman, and Boro rice in a single year
• Top producing states (2025–26): Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal

Rice Cultivation Techniques

Traditional Transplantation

• Seedlings raised in nurseries and transplanted after 25–35 days
• Highly water- and labour-intensive (25–27 irrigations)
• Maximises yield but stresses groundwater resources

Direct Seeded Rice (DSR)

• Seeds directly drilled into fields using machines
• Saves water, labour, and energy
• Best suited for heavy and medium-textured soils with good iron availability

Government Initiatives for Sustainable Rice Production

Water-Smart Agriculture

• Promotion of DSR, micro-irrigation, and crop diversification
• Focus on Punjab–Haryana under PMKSY and state action plans

Climate-Resilient Varieties

• ICAR developing drought-, heat-, and salinity-tolerant varieties under NICRA

Policy Push Towards Diversification

• Post International Year of Millets (2023), greater emphasis on millets and pulses in water-stressed regions

Nutritional Security

• Nationwide rollout of fortified rice under NFSA and PM-POSHAN to address anaemia

Methane Mitigation

• Promotion of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) to cut methane emissions from paddy fields

Key Concerns Associated with Rice Cultivation

Groundwater Depletion

• Producing 1 kg of rice consumes 3,000–4,000 litres of water
• Groundwater levels in Punjab and Haryana have fallen from ~30 feet to 80–200 feet
• Many aquifers are classified as over-exploited or critical

Environmental Degradation

• Flooded paddies generate methane, contributing 10–20% of agricultural GHG emissions
• Residue burning worsens air pollution, releasing particulate matter and carbon monoxide

Health Risks

• Rice grown using arsenic-contaminated groundwater absorbs toxic metals
• Linked to cancers and chronic diseases, especially in Bihar’s hotspot districts

Economic Stress

• Rising costs of borewells, pumps, fertilisers, and electricity push farmers into debt
• Punjab spends nearly ₹39,000 per hectare annually on fertiliser and power subsidies for rice

Climate Vulnerability

• Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall could reduce yields by 6–10%
• North-west India faces a vicious energy–water–climate cycle

Global Food Security Risks

• As India supplies 40% of global rice exports, production shocks could destabilise global markets

Steps Needed for Sustainable Rice-Based Agriculture

Reforming Subsidies

• Shift from input subsidies to direct income and ecosystem service payments
• Ensure MSP and procurement for millets, pulses, and oilseeds

Technological and Water Efficiency

• Scale up SRI, DSR, drip and sprinkler irrigation
• Fast-track genome-edited crops like drought-tolerant rice
• Use AI-based advisories and soil moisture sensors

Policy and Institutional Strengthening

• Ban new borewells in critical zones
• Promote community-led groundwater governance
• Strengthen FPOs and cooperatives

Climate Resilience

• Encourage diversification, agroforestry, and residue management
• Use Soil Health Cards for precision nutrient application

Farmer Income Protection

• Expand PMFBY, affordable credit, and rural agro-processing
• Improve storage, cold chains, and value addition