Skip to content Skip to navigation

India can produce more rice through 'SRI': Experts

Rice is the staple food for majority of the population in India. It contributes 65% of the total food grain production of the country.

With the food crisis and inflation wreaking havoc to the most under-served communities in India, researchers are looking for methods of increasing the rice production. Also the growing population and changing food habits are further making it critical to up the rice yield.

System of rice intensification (SRI) technology has immense potential of increasing the rice yield. This method of rice cultivation has become popular in many Indian states. However, still there are several states lacking with even the basic awareness of SRI technique. Needless to say there is a long way to go still to aware and effectively engage farmers in upping the rice cultivation using the SRI technique. The SRI is a new and evolving alternative to conventional methods of rice cultivation; originated in Madagascar.

There is a notion that higher yields in rice come with high investments on seed, irrigation, high doses of fertilizers and pesticides. Contrary to this popular view, SRI method of cultivation produces higher yields with less seed and less water. SRI emphasizes on the need to shift from chemical fertilizers to organic manures.

"Formal experimentation on SRI in India started in 2002-03. So far the method has been adapted and is being scaled up rapidly in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. This method of cultivation of rice has already helped millions of farmers to at least double their yields", Said Banku Bihari Sarkar, Programme Coordinator, Grameen Development Services (GDS). GDS is also making special tools to be used in farming with SRI technique.

SRI is not a new variety or a hybrid. It is only a new method of cultivation. SRI is showing promising results in all rice varieties - local or improved. SRI method is emerging as a potential alternative to traditional way of flooded rice cultivation and is showing great promise to address the problems of water scarcity.

In the state of Uttar Pradesh, the Kharif crop is cultivated in 90 lakh hectares of land of which 59 lakh hectares is under paddy cultivation. Hence rice is a major crop here. If the SRI method is adapted by farmers for paddy cultivation in UP, not only this will potentially cut water requirement for paddy cultivation by 50% but also boost the rice production by 50%.

"With such far-reaching benefits of SRI, why are we not actively pushing SRI in UP" questioned Mr JL Dwivedi, a senior agriculture scientist of Narendra Dev Agriculture University.

SRI had earlier emerged as a set of six practices:

1) Transplanting young seedlings: Transplanting of very young seedlings between 8 to 12 days old to preserve potential for tailoring and rooting.

2) Planting single seedling: Planting seedlings singly very carefully and gently rather than in clumps of many seedlings.

3) Transplanting at wider spacing: Spacing them widely, at least 25 x 25 cm between plant to plant and as well as row to row; resulting in the spread of roots and acquiring more nutrients from the soil. This enables them to produce more tillers and more grains.

4) Using hand weeder to aerate the soil: Using a simple mechanical hand weeder (Cono weeder) to aerate the soil as well as to control weeds; this helps in vigorous root growth.

5) Keeping soil moist: Keeping the soil moist but not continuously flooded, drain out the surplus water; there is no need to maintain standing water.

6) Use organic manures: Use organic manure or compost to improve soil quality and fertility Organic manures improve soil aeration and also microbial activity.

Particularly in these times of rising food crisis, inflation and water scarcity, it is of utmost significance to use such eco-friendly and effective techniques like SRI to up the rice production. Let us hope the authorities are listening!

Amit Dwivedi

(The author is the Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS) and can be contacted at: amit@theindiancitizen.org)

Comments

neeraj singh's picture

I will advice you to take this issue with the UP government and should focus more on basmati rice which has a huge international demand. I am sure you will be credited when people will call UP as a "rice hub".

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Ex-ULFA aikhya mancha protests government’s move

9 Apr 2017 - 6:48pm | AT News
The ex-ULFA cadres are dead opposed to the government’s move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangaldeshis in Assam. A general meeting of the Ex-ULFA aikhya mancha was held at Dimalgaon community hall...

Illegal Migrants issue heating up.

31 Jul 2007 - 4:41am | Rituparna Goswami Pande
The war of words rising out of the illegal migrants issue between the AASU and the AMSU is heating up by the day and the chances are that this development may push the real issue behind and turn into...

DHAC budget session

14 Mar 2012 - 12:14am | Anup Biswas
The budget of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council both normal and entrusted subject for the year 2012-13 with an increase of more than 10% ( Normal sector- 531,07,27,000.00/ entrusted subject plan- 178....

Summer Cultural Workshop at Parijat Academy

6 Jul 2011 - 1:45pm | editor
Summer Cultural Workshop is going on from July 1. The worskhop is organising by Greater Guwahati Karbi Students' Union in collaboration with Parijat Academy. More than 100 children...

Other Contents by Author

New Delhi: In a day when a series of blasts have rocked the two main cities of Assam- Jorhat and Guwahati, finally there is some good news. The 53rd National Film Awards have been announced today and the Assamese film KADAM TOLE KRISHNA NACHE by Suman Harapriya has been declared the best film in regional languages. The Award carries a Rajat Kamal and a cash award of Rs 50,000 with a plaque. The other notable achievement is that Actor Anupam Kher has won the Special Jury Award for his role in the film 'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara” which has again been directed by a famous by Assamese Director, Jahnu Barua. The other noteworthy winners from Northeast are -1) Best Feature Film in each...
Ganeshguri : A bomb blast occurred at Ganeshguri Chariali in front of Kamrupa Hotel at 8.15 pm on Tuesday. 2 people have been injured and five cars have been damaged seriously.The injured persons have been identified as one Karuna Kalita (22) and one Dino (40). Three vehicles were also damaged in the blast. DIG (CWR) GP Singh suspected the hand of the ULFA behind the blast. “The ULFA militants might have kept the IED in the dustbin,” Singh said
Nalbari : Suspected ULFA militants blew up a powerful bomb at Rampur near Mukalmuwa in Nalbari district at about 11.40 PM on Tuesday. Two people were injured in the blast. The bomb was planted in a scrape depot of a businessman. Police immediately rushed to the spot and recovered at least 15 detonators from the spot. Details of the incidents are awaited. ULFA had threatened to intensify subversive activities on or before India’s Independence Day on 15 August.
Jorhat : There was a bomb blast at Jorhat in front of Sadar Police station at 6.45 PM on Tuesday evening. The bomb was planted in a pan shop. Total 3 people have been killed, 18 are injured, out of which 2 people are serious. The person who have been killed have been identified as Pranjal Gogoi who is also the Vice President of the Youth Congress, Dabajit Bora of Melang and Ajit Bora, an ex-servicemen. The injured personnel have been sent to the Assam Medical College Hospital.Four policemen are among the eight injured in the blast. They are sub-inspectors Tapan Chakraborty and Jiten Gogoi, constables Lakhidhar Panging and Ramen Bora and civilians Santanu Phukan, Jaan Ahmed and Hemen Bora
Bokajan: Suspected AANLA militants on Monday night killed one woman Nirmala Medhiat of Japarjan village under Bokajan police station. Police said that some miscreants fired through the window pan when Nirmla was asleep with her husband. The reasons for the killing are unknown. It may be mentioned that on 22nd July, another woman had been killed at Neperpeti also under Bokajan police station.
Guwahati: The Karbi Autonomous Council has decided to prohibit land rights to any new settlers with an immediate effect. Principal Secretary of Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council issued an order regarding this ban a few days’ back. Sale, transfer of ownership in any means including gift, lease, permission to use, mortgage or to bond out any lands owned by non tribals in Karbi Anglong to any non tribal was banned by this (No: KSC/REVENUE/LRD/306/2003-04/6645(a), Dated 13 July, 2007) order under any circumstances.By this order Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council has categorically denied land rights to all non-tribal people, who have been living there since the formation of...
JBF (INDIA) is a professionally managed registered (as trust) animal welfare organization. It is promoted by JBF (Scotland), a Scottish charity. JBF (INDIA) is also the member society of World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA), one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the world. the projects of JBF. JBF [JBF (INDIA)...
Poachers have killed two more rhinos near World Famous Kaziranga National Park on Monday taking the total number of rhinos at the world heritage site falling prey this year to eleven. Poachers shot dead a one-horned rhino near Bonkowal and escaped with its horn, nail, tail and ear at about 3.30 AM, park authorities said. At 5.30 pm another rhino have been killed near Paharline, under Dolamara rage of North Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary. One Caracas was recovered from the park area last week. Three more rhinos were killed in different parts of Upper Assam in the last seven months. The rhinos were believed to have gone out from the park searching for food during the last year, as there has...
Renowned Hindi Film and theatre personality Naseeruddin Shah and his wife, also an actress, Ratna Pathak will perform a stage show at “Pragjyoti”, Machkhowa, Guwahati on Monday evening. They will take part in a play “Ismat Apa Ke Nam” at the conclusion day of the Natasurya Drama Festival. On Sunday they had performed at Rabindra Bhavan in a play “Collaga-2”. The couple is camping at Rajbhavan since Saturday morning with their troop.
Dr.Bhabendranath Saikia’s National Award-winning Assamese film Agnisnan will be screened in London on August 14 to commemorate his 4th death anniversary. Saikia won two National Awards for best film and best screenplay for Agnisnan in 1985. The film will be shown at the Nehru Center auditorium, situated in the campus of the Indian High Commission in London. Seven of his movies — Sandhya Rag, Anirban, Agnisnan, Kolahal, Sarothi, Abarton and Itihas — won the Rajat Kamal award for best regional films. Saikia died on 13 August 2003. He had done his PhD in Nuclear Physics from London University.