In recent history, this is a biggest ever shocker to hit Odisha’s rice plate. Rice production in the State in 2015-16 would be the lowest ever in the last decade (2005-06 – 2015-16).
The plate of woes for Odisha here bares how only one drought has pricked the State’s farm production bubble as it brings to fore how intensive are the vulnerabilities the State’s farm sector, when Odisha became the only State to record a sharpest drop in rice production in 2015-16 in the whole country. Even, worst arid hit States like Telangana and Maharashtra posted a better show than Odisha.
As per the Second Advance Estimates (AE) released recently, Odisha would see a rice production to the tune of 57.9 lakh tonnes (lT) in 2015-16, which would be the lowest-ever production figure since 2005-06. Earlier in 2011-12, with over 58lT, production was the lowest.
The disconcerting part of this rice-story is despite drought affecting quite virulently eight States nationally, Odisha is the only State to register a record dip in rice production in 2015-16 from that of 2014-15 and also from the average rice production during the past half-decade of 2010-11 to 2014-15.
Data shows when Odisha would record a dip to the tune of over 25 lakh tonnes or over 30 per cent vis-a-vis 2014-15, the fall would be around 14 lakh tonnes or 19 per cent vis-a-vis the average production of around 71.7 lakh tonnes during 2010-11 to 2014-15. This is so when sowing of rice was merely over 3 lakh hectares less than 2014-15 Kharif.
Comparably, worst drought hit States like Telengana and Maharashtra could record a lower deficit of around mere 5 per cent and 11 per cent respectively vis-a-vis the 2014-15 rice production. Even, the deficits over the average during the last half decade for the two States ranged from 11 to 20 per cent only. This comparison brings to fore the fault lines in Odisha’s stride towards the Green Revolution – II.
Experts at OUAT observed that long dry spell took the toll on State as it affected another around 9 lakh hectares more and moisture stress then affected a big dip in the yield rate of rice pulling production down to record low. “The dynamics of Green Revolution demands a State to go for intensive sowing of drought-resistance varieties to keep the production figure ticking, which Odisha failed to bring into effect,” they rued. Result: Year 2015-16 would record a lowest ever yield rate for rice in State’s recent history. The yield rate of rice in Odisha has been meandering in the range of around 17 quintals/hectare only during the decade of 2004-05 to 2014-15. The target yield rate of around 23 quintals/hectare by Agriculture Department remained a pipedream only.
In yield rate of rice, Odisha sits at a low rank of 30th when it figured among top-10 rice producing States in the country. Even, Chhattisgarh ranks ahead of Odisha. Reason: Irrigation coverage for rice is over 50 per cent against around 40 per cent in Odisha.