1. Problems and Bridging the yield gap in Rice
Dr. M. C. Diwakar
Director DIRECTORATE OF RICE DEVELOPMENT GOVT.OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (DEPTT. OF AGRI. & COOPN.) PATNA (BIHAR)

2. Eco-System wise rice in India
Production
Area

3. Area & Production ( %) under different Productivity Groups
115 distt.
103 distt
119 distt.
143 distt.
83 distt

4. STRATEGIES Rainfed Lowland: CONSTRAINTS Rainfed Lowlands
CONSTRAINTS & STRATEGIES FOR RICE PRODUCTION RAINFED ECOLOGIES (45% area contributing to only 30% rice production)
STRATEGIES
Rainfed Lowland:
(Maximum potential to enhance productivity –we can achieve 1 to 2 tons/ha yield increase)
Promotion of stress (flooding, drought, salinity etc.) tolerant rice varieties and early maturing varieties and late maturing varieties in flood prone areas
Promotion of inputs such as sees, micronutrients, farm machinery, PP chemicals through programmatic interventions
Dissemination of technologies through KVKs
Policy for advanced planning for targeted environment seed production
Ensuring optimal stand establishment by adopting closer spacing in transplanted areas and by using 20 percent higher seed rate in direct sown ecologies. Hand weeding and hoeing
CONSTRAINTS
Rainfed Lowlands
Low and fragile productivity & production due to abiotic stresses mainly drought, flood, salinity & water stagnation
Low input use
Poor network of extension services
Poor availability of inputs particularly quality seed of stress tolerant varieties
High weed infestation

5. Constraints Strategies : Rainfed uplands:
Drought (moisture stress at more than one growth stage)
Acid soils with low organic matter content, low N and P and widespread Zn, Boron deficiency
Lack of suitable HYVs and slow adoption of improved varieties
Inadequate supply and use of quality seed
Severe weed infestation
Poor crop stand
Blast and brown spot diseases
Widespread poverty
Strategies :
Promotion of early maturing drought tolerant rice varieties well adapted to direct seeding (e.g. Sahbhagi Dhan)
Lime treatment and micronutrients Ensuring optimum plant population by adoption of line sowing/using higher seed rate.
Quality seed production as per seed plan and indenting of recently released varieties
Promotion of pre-emergence application of recommended weedicides and/or harrowing/ hoeing and hand-weeding once or thrice depending on the severity of weed infestation. Resistant varieties for blast and brown spot diseases .

6. CONSTRAINTS & STRATEGIES FOR RICE PRODUCTION IRRIGATED ECOLOGY (55% AREA CONTRIBUTING TO 70 % RICE PRODUCTION)
STRATEGIES :
Pucca outlets for Good drainage.
Amelioration of inland salinity/alkalinity affected areas along with salinity tolerant varieties (CSR 36, CSR 27, Narendra Usar Dhan 3 etc.)
Treatment with micronutrients.
Zero till seed drill use for direct seeding .Mechanized transplanting/wet direct seeding to ensure timely planting in areas where delayed planting is inevitable due to labour shortage and high wage etc.
Use of recommended PP chemicals
CONSTRAINTS
Faulty irrigation causing salinity/alkalinity in commands & deltas
Low organic matter & micronutrients deficiency
Delayed planting
Biotic (diseases, insects and weeds) and abiotic (moisture stress, flooding)

7. Summary Schemes for rice development
Addressing constraints through schematic interventions
Encouraging trends
Bottle necks in implementation/Areas needing attention

8. Government’s Initiatives
National Food Security Mission – 136 districts, 14 states ; 50,000 hac area & district productivity less than state average
Macromanagement Mode of Agriculture-in non NFSM districts/ states
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
Extending green revolution in Eastern India- Eastern U.P, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa ; Rs 400
Promoting technology –seeds, INM, Plant Protection, Farm machinery, FFS, demonstration

9. Addressing the Constraints through Programmatic interventions
Saline, acidic soils
Soil amelioration by lime ( 7 lakh hac). Paper mill sludge for acidic soil treatment in Orissa
minikits of saline tolerant varies CSR 36( kits; 591 qtls)
Low seed replacement
Increased seed distribution ( nearly 19.0 lakh qtl)
Wide spread Zn deficiency
Micronutrients are promoted in nearly 14 lakh hac.
Low organic content
Rotavators are promoted for puddling/ ploughing back weeds and green manure into the soil. use of cono weeder under SRI

10. Addressing Constraints through Programmatic interventions
Knowledge gaps
Demonstrations, farmer’s field school, PMT
Delayed planting
Promotion of Zero till seed drill for direct seeding
Post harvest grain loss
Threshing floors are promoted for better grain yield and drying of the grains; Bihar
Climate change effect
Promotion of drought resistance varieties of Sahabhagi Dhan ( kits; 1550 qtl ),and submergence tolerant variety of Suvarna sub 1 ( kits; 3638 qtls) )

11. Trend of Input intake Input 07-08 08-09 09-10 Seed (lakh qtls)
0.33 (17%)
6.7 (45%)
11.6 (52%)
Micronutrients (lakh hac)
0.92 (55%)
4.9 (84%)
7.7 (73%)
Liming (lakh hac)
0.45 (29%)
4.5(87%)
2.1 (50%)
Farm implements (no. in lakhs)
0.06(22%)
3.1(100%)
4.1(100%)
Pump sets (no. in lakhs )
0.17 (63%)
0.41(93%)

12. Encouraging trends….good Agriculture practices
Increased adoption of System of Rice Intensification –T.N- Compact block demos, Orissa-every block 1 SRI village of 100 acres, Bihar-SRI villages
Increased awareness and demand for hybrids – U.P., A.P , Assam, Orissa etc.
Increased demand for Farm machinery – Zero till seed drills, rotavators, conoweeders
Increase in area under Bororice production , particularly in Assam

13. Impact of Hybrid rice seed Minikit
Better performance of public rice hybrid because of shorter duration than private hybrid during drought season. KRH 2 in Orissa, Assam
Enhanced hybrid rice minikits minikits allocated in 10-11
hybrid seed minikit as demonstration under SRI to –BAU, JNKV
More demand- Notified TL hybrid seeds are allowed from

14. Reducing Risks of Rice production
Increased production in good season for maintaining food buffer stocks
Promotion of Hybrid Rice; Strategies to enlist Private sector participation, and adapting good practices of production of public bred hybrids( China)
Reaching out to low capacity rice farmers
Promotion of SRI; Inclusion of NGOs for individualized service to farmers especially for rainfed rice
Develop technologies on drought and submergence tolerance
Partnering IRRI for active promotion of salt and submergence tolerant varieties
Special drive for the stress prone areas to enhance and stabilize rice productivity (advanced planning for seed multiplication and targeted seed dissemination)

15. Conclusions
Rice – Crop of different agro climatic zones. Promotion of available technologies through schematic interventions
Bottlenecks of implementation…/Areas needing attention
water resources development in uplands /drainage in lowlands
Development and seed production of suitable varieties- short and medium duration stress tolerant ; climate change Resilient varieties and boro rice varieties
Standardised technology for SRI for different agro ecological zones for optimum returns ?
Popularising DNA fingure printing techniques for testing hybrids
Procurement issue in eastern India

16. THANK YOU