New Delhi: Rice sowing in the current kharif season has come down by 13% till August 5 due to rainfall deficiency in main paddy-producing states. This crisis is even more concerning as it’s happening in a year when wheat output has fallen and the government’s own procurement of the cereal has dropped drastically.
According to data released by agriculture ministry on Monday, the area covered under paddy stood at 274.30 lakh hectare as on August 5, against 314.14 lakh hectare in the corresponding period last year. This decreased paddy acreage is reported in large paddy-producing states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana.
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According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), western Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a rainfall deficiency of 36% as on August 8, eastern UP has a deficiency of 43%. Bihar and Jharkhand have rainfall deficiency of 38% and 45% respectively. It also says the Gangetic West Bengal has witnessed 46% less rainfall.
India, which is the largest exporter of rice, commands a 40% share in the global market. If the situation goes bad and there’s a shortfall in rice production, it will affect worldwide trade, especially in a year when wheat production has dropped.
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Rice output stood at a record 129.66 million tonne in the 2021-22 crop year (July-June). India exported 21.2 million tonne of rice in 2021-22 fiscal year. The Centre has a stock of 47 million tonne of rice as on July 1 as against the buffer norm of 13.5 million tonne.
