| Time right for rice now Rice, the most extensively grown food crop, does not need any kind of introductory remark to make the reader aware of its importance, given the fact that it is the staple of around 60 per cent of the world’s population. We are all familiar with the vital role of rice in not only meeting human energy needs but also as a source of income. Believed to be first cultivated in China, rice is today grown in more than 100 countries, with China being the biggest producer followed by India. In fact, rice is the mainstay of Asia- Pacific economies where 90 per cent of the world’s rice is produced and consumed. Despite the high proportion of rice consumed as human food, the trade in the commodity is very low due to the fact that majority of the rice produced is consumed in the producing countries itself.
Rice offers a great potential to address the challenges of hunger, malnutrition and food security. This is the first field crop for which the complete genome sequence is now available. This offers a tremendous opportunity for biotechnological applications to improve plant performance and resistance to various biotic stresses. In fact, there have been major advances in increasing rice production worldwide over the years owing to the largescale adoption of modern high-yielding rice varieties and improved cultural practices. As a result, global rice production has grown gradually over the years. However, the recent stagnation in global acreage and slowdown in yield growth in some of the major rice growing countries is slowing the growth in production. At, the same time, the total consumption is still growing gradually due to a rise in population.
Indian rice production has also shown a healthy growth in the past, particularly after late 1960s on account of the Green Revolution. However, of late, slowing production growth on declining yield growth and near stagnant acreage is seen challenging the self-sufficiency of the country in this important staple, as demand is growing with the ballooning population. There is an urgent need to make sincere efforts to push rice productivity higher in the country, which will not only ensure self-sufficiency in the country but also help maintain the presence of India in the international rice trade. The need to enhance productivity, not only in India but globally, becomes all the more important looking at the current global situation, with the price of the commodity touching unprecedented highs due to various reasons as also export restrictions imposed by many countries, including India. Back to More Stories |
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