Rice exports increased; long monsoon break will affect India's rice yield

Last month, India banned the export of non-basmati rice. According to the press release issued by the government, this has been done to maintain the availability of rice in the country and to reduce the rising prices here. In the last year, the price of rice has increased by 11.5%. Whereas in the last 3 months, this increase has been recorded up to 3%. In the month of September last year, the government imposed a 20% export duty on the export of rice with the aim of reducing the export of rice and maintaining a sufficient quantity of rice stock in the country. But if the figures are to be believed, the exports have increased instead of decreasing.

Rice export increased

According to statistical data, India experienced a notable increase in rice exports during the month of September in the year 2021-22. Specifically, the export volume reached 33.66 lakh metric tonnes, which further soared to 42.12 lakh metric tonnes in the subsequent year of 2022-23. Similarly, during the assessment conducted for the months of April to June in the present financial year of 2023-24, the country exported a substantial amount of 15.54 metric tonnes of rice. Hence, signifying a remarkable 35% increase compared to the corresponding months of the previous financial year.

In India, sowing of all kharif crops including rice has been affected due to changing weather and erratic rainfall. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there has been a monsoon break in India from August 4 to August 15. This was the third biggest monsoon break of this century. Earlier in the years 2002 and 2009 this type of monsoon break happened.

Long monsoon break spoils rice yield

According to the Economic Survey 2022-23, the maximum production of rice in India is in West Bengal. This state produced 16.76 million tonnes of rice last year. This was 12.87 percent of India's total production. However, according to the data received from June 1 to August 20, 2023, there has been 14% less rainfall in West Bengal. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh, which is the second largest rice-producing state in the country, has received 22% less rainfall.

Talking about its impact on the farmer and the crop, Dr. Pradeep Nandi, Director General, of the National Center for Human Settlement and Environment (NCHSE), says that the monsoon break has negatively affected the production of rice farmers using flood irrigation. Could. He says,

"Kharif crops are heavily reliant on rainwater. However, the interruption in the monsoon has resulted in a scarcity of water for the crops during the crucial growth period, consequently leading to reduced productivity."

More damage to small farmers

Due to a scarcity of water and unusually high temperatures in June, farmers have been unable to timely prepare paddy nurseries. As a consequence, they have not been able to sow the crops on schedule. In such circumstances, farmers have to rely on groundwater instead of rainwater, leading to an increase in the crop's overall cost due to the greater water requirements of paddy.

“The farmer with large holdings also has more resources, so he will suffer relatively less loss from this. Whereas the farmers of small and medium holdings will suffer more losses.” Dr. Nandi explains.

In India, the traditional method of planting paddy for rice production has been ingrained. However, Dr Nandi highlights the alternative option of direct seeding using new seed varieties. Sadly, only a minority of farmers have transitioned to this method. Hence, the impact on overall rice production remains limited.

Considering the potential decline in paddy-based rice production, one might wonder if banning exports could alleviate the loss. In response, Dr Nandi emphasizes that the availability of rice in the market relies on the quantity of grain released by the government from its stock.

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