RICE POTENTIAL FOR UNDERNOURISHED POPULACE

New Delhi, 11 October 2006

NEW DELHI, October 12 (INFA): About 815 million people in the developing countries are undernourished, according to a report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).  Also it is reported that hunger and nutrition are the underlying causes of more than half of all child deaths, killing nearly six million children each year.

The FAO has observed that rice offers a great potential to meet the alarming situation and to save an unavoidable waste of human resources.

Rice is the first field crop for which the complete genome sequence is now available.  This offers a tremendous opportunity genome sequence is now available. This offers a tremendous opportunity for biotechnological applications to improve plant performance and resistance to various biotic stresses.  It can also help rice to adapt to diverse environments.

The “golden rice” and “iron rich rice” have the potential to address the deficiency of Vitamin A and micronutrients.  It is hoped that future evolution in rice would change the destiny of millions of people across the globe through improved and affordable supply and quality improvement in this vital foodgrain. 

The growth rate of both production and productivity in rice cultivation in India has tapered off in recent years.  We need a new boost to its production and productivity.  We need both a Second Green Revolution in rice and, more importantly, an improvement in the economics of rice cultivation and resource use, stated Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh while inaugurating the International Rice Congress here on Monday last.

Beyond questions of science, a number of profound social, economic and ethical questions are associated with biotechnology. I hope these questions will be addressed. How the potential of this wonderful and creative science should be directed and controlled for human welfare, progress and prosperity in harmony with nature, is a big question for our times, he stated.

There are some anxieties about the risks associated with new biotechnological products, which can at the same time provide food security for the poor. We need therefore, to strike a balance between using the potential of biotechnology to meet the requirements of hungry people, while addressing ethical concerns about interfering with nature.

As the dominant crop in most production systems, rice requires special attention in addressing natural and manmade challenges to the eco-systems of rice. India is characterized by wide swings in weather. Rice has to cope with floods, in one year, and drought during the next.  Rice is cultivated in perennially irrigated tracts, as well as in essentially rainfed regions. We need a concerted effort to develop rice varieties for submergence tolerance, drought tolerance, salinity tolerance and for wider adaption to climatic change.

Rice grown under irrigated conditions is facing the threat of water shortage. This is forcing a paradigm shift towards maximizing output per unit of water instead of per unit of land. There are no technologies to convince farmers to use less water in rice production without compromising on returns? This is yet another challenge for our scientists and technologists.

Indeed, increasing output per unit of water is a larger challenge facing Indian agriculture as a whole. We need scientific, technological, economic and, importantly, institutional responses to meet this challenge. We must shift the focus to increasing productivity per unit of water of both irrigated and rainfed agriculture. This is a vital challenge we face and we must address it. 

We also need to improve the economics of rice cultivation by finding alternative uses for bye-products like rice straw. I am sure we can address these issues if rice research can attract the best minds we have in science research.---INFA