Rice Strategy in the North Eastern Hill (NEH) Region Dr. M. Rohinikumar Singh Director of Research CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY Imphal, Manipur

Rice at a glance in North Eastern Hill (NEH) Region State-wise population, rice area, production, productivity, requirement, deficit/ excess and required productivity enhancement for NEH states during the year Sl. No. Name of the NEH States Population (2001 Census) Area (‘000 ha) Production (‘000 MT) Productivity (t/ha) Requirement (‘000 MT) Deficit/ Excess (‘000 MT) Required productivity enhancement (t/ha) 1. Arunachal Pradesh 10,98, (-) Manipur 22,94, (-) Meghalaya 23,19, (-) Mizoram 8,89, (-) Nagaland 19,90, (-) Sikkim 5,41, (-) Tripura 31,99, (-) Total 123,30, (-) Source: Basic Statistics of NER, 2006; Requirement: Per capita rice requirement per month: Rural kg and Urban kg (NSS, 50 th Round, ) 2

Strength Rice is the staple food of NEH region and consumed in different forms viz., cooked rice, popped rice, rice flake, rice cake, rice flour, etc. A large number of land races/local cultivars with wild relatives viz., Zizania spp., Oryza rufipogon, Oryza nivara, etc. are available in the region. Rice grows from deepwater conditions (e.g. deep water paddy) to high hills (e.g. Jhum rice) in the region. Monsoon rain spreads from the month of May-June to October-November in the region. Rice can grow in all the soils available in the region. Two Central institutes viz., ICAR-RC for NEH Region and C.A.U. with its constituent colleges in all the states of NEH Region. SWOT analysis for rice production in NEH Region with particular reference to Manipur 3

Weakness Most of the land races available are of low productivity. Most of the rice production areas are rainfed and dependent on monsoon rains. Most of the rice soil in the region is acidic in nature. Rice variety bred in mainland is not widely adapted in NEH region due to varied altitudinal and physiographical conditions of the region. Unavailability of quality seeds for different agro-ecosystem specific H.Y.V. rice and lack of properly functioning Seed Certification Agency. Poor road communication system of the region to reach rice production and protection inputs in time and in adequate quantity to the rice farmers. Lack of technological interventions to the desired level for rice crop production, crop protection, processing, value addition, etc. 4

Opportunities Availability of land races adapted to different rice growing systems for use in breeding programme to develop variety preferred by NEH people. CAU with its different constituent colleges at different NEH states with a mandate of teaching (HRD), Research and extension and ICAR Research Centres in NEH states are the opportunities for this region to address rice related problems and technological interventions. ICAR Seed Project, can be converted into opportunity for this region to multiply and distribute good quality seeds of released variety. Availability of medium to high rainfall during monsoon season in the region is the opportunity for rice production, although the region has poor irrigation system. Possibilities for adequate rain water harvesting during monsoon season is an opportunity for rice based multiple cropping systems in the region. 5

Threats Most of the rice growing areas in this region are rainfed with acidic soil. Requirement of agro-ecosystem specific rice variety is too many demanding small quantity of seeds. Private Sector Seed Companies are less interested as the requirement of seed is low. Due to climate change, distribution of rainfall is rather erratic and unpredictable leading to unprecedented flood and drought. Due to poor road connectivity, crop production and protection inputs cannot reach farmers timely and in adequate quantities. High diseases and pests incidence on rice due to conducive environment prevailing in the region. 6

A. Hill/Slope land rice cultivation system a. Jhum rice cultivation (rainfed) b. Terraced rice cultivation (rainfed/ irrigated) B. Valley/Flat land rice cultivation system a. Rainfed upland rice (direct seeded) Direct seeded with dry seeds in dry field (Poong-hun in Manipuri) b. Rainfed wetland rice cultivation (direct seeded) Direct seeded with sprouted seeds in puddled field (Pam-phel in Manipuri) c. Irrigated wetland rice cultivation (transplanting in puddled field) Conventional – random/line planting Integrated crop management (ICM) practices System of Rice Intensification (SRI) d. Low land/deep water rice cultivation systems Semi-deep water rice cultivation (Direct seeding/Transplanting with old seedling) Deep water rice cultivation system (Mostly by direct seeding ) 7 Rice cultivation system in NEH region with special reference to Manipur

Issues 1.Unavailability of suitable high yielding rice varieties for different rice growing situations with rice quality of local preference. 2.Poor irrigation system and lack of adequate rain water harvesting structure for rice based multiple cropping system. 3.Unavailability of adequate quantity of production inputs viz., quality seed, plant nutrients, P.P. chemicals in time by the farmers. 4.Lack of adequate technological interventions in the form of training and demonstration on various rice production technologies as demanded by the rice growing situations and cultivation systems. 5.Lack of post harvest management, processing and marketing. 6.Lack of value addition and secondary agriculture in rice. 7.Lack of use of appropriate farm machineries and tools in rice farming. 8 Rice production issues & strategy for food security in NEH region

Strategies A.Conventional and molecular breeding Utilizing available land races to cater varietal need for different growing conditions both by CAU & ICAR Research Complex, targeting rice improvement for different agro-ecosystems and rice cultivation systems, evolving High Yielding Rice Varieties with eating quality of consumer’s preference is essential. In order to exploit the possibilities of both horizontal and vertical increase for rice production in the region, suitable high yielding rice varieties with local preference need to develop for increasing rice based cropping intensity. With the present scenario of climate change, efforts should also be made for development of contingency rice crops to resilient climate change. 9 1.Rice varietal improvement

B. Hybrid rice breeding Development of semi-glutinous hybrid rice to suit the local consumer’s preference of rice eating quality should be attempted in order to achieve the present requirement of yield enhancement. C. Hill rice improvement Development of high yielding hill rice with adequate cold tolerance should be attempted and made available to hill farmers. D. Speciality rice improvement In order to develop high yielding, high value rice crop e.g., black aromatic glutinous rice of Manipur, speciality rice improvement may be attempted for higher income of rice farmers of the region. 10

Rainfed wetland-CAU-R1( days with average grain yield of t/ha) Irrigated wetland-CAU-R1( days with average grain yield of t/ha) Rainfed upland-CAU-R3 ( days with average grain yield of 4 t/ha) Semi-deep water-CAU-R4 ( days with average grain yield of t/ha) Rice based increased cropping intensity-CAU-R6 ( days with average grain yield of t/ha) Semi-glutinous hybrid rice development- Initiated High yielding hill rice development- Initiated Speciality rice improvement- Initiated 11 Present status of rice variety improvement at CAU

CAU-R1 stood first in kharif Rice Crop Competition of Manipur, 2009 Salient features: Advantages: 1. High performance under low applied fertilizer level of 60:40:30 NPK kg per ha. 2. High brown rice recovery – 72% 3. Tolerance to:  Rice blast  Bacterial leaf blight  Submergence up to 7 days  Late sowing up to July end Disadvantage: High chaffy grains under higher level of nitrogen top dressing at reproductive stage. N.B. Complete production technology of CAU-R1 is available for medium land ecosystem of Manipur Valley

2. Rice production input supply Timely availability of adequate quantity of all the production inputs like quality seeds, Plant nutrients (both organic and inorganic), P.P. chemicals should be made to the farmers. Improvement in irrigation system and rain water harvesting infrastructure development should be given priority in order to increase rice production horizontally and vertically. 13

3. Rice production technology intervention Training and demonstration on Integrated Crop Management(ICM) in rice, System of Rice Intensification (SRI), plant protection on rice weeds, diseases and pest adopting Integrated Weed Management (IWM), Integrated Diseases Management (IDM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems. Farm mechanisation through the utilization of appropriate farm tools and machineries under different farming situations is the need of the hour. Hence, training and demonstrations are needed. 14

4. Rice harvesting, post harvest management and rice processing Mechanization by using appropriate farm machineries on rice harvesting, threshing, drying, milling, value addition, etc. are considered essential for drudgery reduction and increased work efficiency. Utilization of rice grain husks for making various items like card board, fuel, etc. Utilization of rice bran for oil extraction Utilization of rice straw for mushroom production, cattle feed, etc Attention to secondary agriculture in rice

Conclusion Rice being the staple food of the NEH region and being cultivated ranging from deep water to high hills for livelihood of the people, efforts are to be made for the increased production and productivity of rice crops in NEH region through various technological interventions. 16

Meghalaya Nagaland Mizoram Manipur Tripura Sikkim Arunachal Pradesh Meghalaya