Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Back to the future for India's rice farmers
Rice is a staple food in India and plays a crucial role in the
country's agriculture and economy. In fact, India is the second largest rice
producer after China and the largest rice exporter in the world. It has a
diverse agro-climatic range that supports the cultivation of various rice
varieties, both irrigated and rainfed cultivation, and Basmati Rice, a premium
and aromatic long-grain rice variety, and non-Basmati Rice varieties. In July, India
banned exports of non-basmati white rice to calm rising domestic prices at home,
which caused panic buying and empty rice shelves at Indian grocery stores in North
America. Many rice farmers in India have been trying to increase production by cultivating
hybrid rice varieties. Still, many of them found that they need a log of additives
like pesticides which have spoiled their land. The truce is that indigenous
rice seed varieties have adapted to local ecologies and climates, even though
they’ve changed too fast and drastically. Some of the rice seeds can be grown
without water. And there are other varieties that can be grown without
fertilizer or other chemicals like red rice. Which is more sustainable both for
farmers and their land?
Enjoy reading the article and learning about what sustainable rice production
could be in the largest rice exporter in the world.
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