Indian Rice Congress

Why is in news? President of India inaugurates the 2nd Indian Rice Congress at Cuttack

The second edition of the Indian Rice Congress was recently inaugurated by President Murmu at National Rice Research Institute at Cuttack, Odisha.

The 2023 congress was held on the theme “Transforming Rice Research”.

The congress focused on the global food crisis and the recent scientific developments that will help in increasing the production and yield of paddy crops.

The Association of Rice Research Workers (ARRW) located at ICAR- National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) organized the congress. ARRW was founded in 1961.

The significance of the congress is Low-income groups of India depend on rice. In fact, rice is the only source of nutrition for these groups. India is planning to bring more bio-fortified paddy crops. Recently, NRRI launched high-protein rice.

The congress will serve as a common platform for international scientists to learn about the new advancements in the field of agriculture.

In 2010, India produced 89 million tonnes of rice. In 2022, the production increased to 130 million tonnes. Such achievements shall be progressed and new innovations shall be adopted through the congress.

Why Cuttack?

Cuttack is called Silver city and has several heritage values. The Jagannath Temple (74 km from Cuttack), Konark city (65 km from Cuttack), Nandan Kanan National Park, Chilika lake, etc.

The Government of India is planning on promoting its tourism at every international event. For instance, the tourism ministry is presenting virtual tours of the popular tourist destinations of India to foreign delegates attending G20 meetings.

Rice:

Rice is a staple food for most of the population in India.

It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

In the areas of less rainfall, it is grown with the help of irrigation.

In southern states and West Bengal, the climatic conditions allow the cultivation of two or three crops of rice in an agricultural year.

About one-fourth of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation.

Leading producer states: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.

High Yielding States: Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Kerala.

India is the second-largest producer of rice after China.