Rainfed rice - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

Socio-Economic Constraints
in Rice Production in
Eastern India
R
ice is the principal staple food in eastern India and this area's
agricultural system is largely dominated by rice-based cropping
systems. Eastern India comprises Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa
and the eastern parts of Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP). The
region is inhabited by nearly 500 million people and accounts for 63.3% of
the total rice area in India but produces only 50% of the total rice output
because of lower productivity.
Unlike other parts of India where
rice is grown under irrigated
conditions, rice farmers of the region
depend mainly on the unpredictable
monsoon rains.
Rice production in eastern India
during the last two decades grew at
a satisfactory rate of about 2.7% per
year. The growth was uneven across
states and districts, particularly in
Bihar, Orissa, Assam and eastern
MP, where rice production failed to
keep up with the population and
demand. Production performance
was variable even within
homogeneous agroecological zones.
Performance was particularly poor
in the subhumid plateau regions of
Chhotanagpur and Chhatisgarh,
which also have a high rate of rural-
urban migration.
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Poverty and food insecurity are widespread
in the eastern region. According to recent
estimates, the poverty ratio is nearly 60% in
Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal, compared
with less than 20% in Punjab, Haryana and
Gujarat and less than 30% in Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
The daily calorie intake is less than 2000
per capita in Bihar and Orissa, compared
with 2700 in Punjab and 2400 to 2600 in
Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala and
Andhra Pradesh. The high incidence of poverty
can be partly related to the poor performance of
the rice crop which is not only the principal food
but also an important source of employment and
income for the rural population.