RA 00048.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Some Important Socioeconomic Issues
Concerning Sorghum in India
H. R. Arakeri*
S o r g h u m is o n e of t h e f o u r major cereal crops of
t h e w o r l d . In 1979 (FAO 1979), it w a s g r o w n over
an area of 5 0 . 8 7 9 million ha and t h e production
w a s 6 7 . 2 6 8 million m e t r i c t o n n e s . Seventy-five
per c e n t o f t h e w o r l d area but only a b o u t 4 0 % o f
p r o d u c t i o n c a m e f r o m Asia a n d Africa, w h e r e t h e
grain is m o s t l y u s e d as h u m a n f o o d . The yield w a s
0.69 t / h a in Africa a n d 0.88 t / h a in Asia. In North
A m e r i c a a n d o t h e r countries, w h e r e t h e grain is
u s e d m o s t l y as animal f e e d and in industries, t h e
yield level w a s 3.4 t / h a .
S o r g h u m is raised as a forage and silage crop in
s o m e countries, w h i l e i n s o m e other countries,
industrial uses of t h e grain are on t h e increase.
Results indicate t h a t s o r g h u m is a b o u t as g o o d a
f e e d grain as maize for pigs, cattle, sheep, and
poultry (Anon. 1972). It is s h o w n to be e v e n better
t h a n barley and oats. Stover (stubble) is used for
f e e d i n g animals in m a n y countries w h e r e it is
g r o w n for f o o d grain. S o r g h u m is mainly a crop of
semi-arid regions although it thrives w e l l in
s u b h u m i d conditions. It is g r o w n in tropical,
subtropical a n d t e m p e r a t e regions of t h e w o r l d .
R e s p o n s e to controlled irrigation is substantial and
it can, therefore, be g r o w n w i t h advantage as an
irrigated c r o p in limited w a t e r supply situations.
Yields as high as 4 t / h a have b e e n obtained under
irrigation in t h e U A R (Anon. 1972). Still b e t t e r
results are o b t a i n e d in s o m e parts of India.
Biologically, s o r g h u m is an efficient c r o p plant and
it n e e d s to be exploited to t h e fullest e x t e n t
possible for t h e g o o d o f m a n k i n d .
* Chairman, Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board
(ICAR). New Delhi 110 001, India.
Indian Situation
India p r o d u c e d about 84 million t o n n e s of cereals
in 1 9 7 1 . Rice production w a s 38.74 million t o n n e s
a n d that of millets and w h e a t w a s 24.40 million
t o n n e s and 20.86 million t o n n e s , respectively. In
1 9 7 8 / 7 9 , t h e level w a s 119.2 million t o n n e s
c o m p r i s i n g 53.8 million t o n n e s of rice, 3 4 . 9 8
million t o n n e s of w h e a t and 31.12 million t o n n e s
of millets (Anon. 1980). The position of millets has
n o w m o v e d d o w n t o third rank giving t h e s e c o n d
place to w h e a t . Rice, h o w e v e r , has retained its
p r i m e position and is likely to maintain t h e s a m e in
f u t u r e .
The aggregate c o n s u m e r d e m a n d for f o o d a n d
supply possibilities in 1985 and 2 0 0 0 AD as
projected by t h e National C o m m i s s i o n on Agriculture
(NCA) (1976a) are given in Table 1.
S o r g h u m requirements have not been w o r k e d
out separately. Production possibilities, h o w e v e r ,
indicate that the level of 20.04 million t o n n e s
c o u l d b e reached b y 2 0 0 0 A D e v e n b y using t h e
t e c h n o l o g y available n o w (NCA 1976b).
S o r g h u m is g r o w n in t h e semi-arid a n d s u b -
h u m i d regions of t h e country. The area, production,
and productivity levels in different years are
given in Table 2.
There is an increasing t r e n d in production as
also in productivity. The area, h o w e v e r , is varying
b e t w e e n 16 and 18 million ha. The projection
m a d e b y t h e N C A indicates that e v e n i n 2 0 0 0 A D
t h e area w o u l d continue to remain at 17 million ha.
Yield levels, h o w e v e r , w o u l d require to be raised
f r o m 0.48 t / h a in t h e 1 9 6 9 - 7 2 period to 1.2 t / h a
in 2 0 0 0 A D . To achieve this level of p r o d u c t i o n ,
various m e a s u r e s like t h e u s e of hybrids, fertilizers,
pest control, etc., w o u l d have to be a d o p t e d
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 1982. Sorghum in the Eighties: Proceedings of the International
Symposium on Sorghum. 2 - 7 Nov 8 1 , Patancheru. A.P.. India. Patancheru. A.P. India: ICRISAT.
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