India's Rice Production Growth

India has emerged as the world's largest rice producer, surpassing China in the 2024-25 period. India produced approximately 150 million metric tonnes of rice, while China produced 145.28 million tonnes. India's rice production now accounts for around 28% of global production.

Historical Context and Growth

A decade ago, India's rice production was substantially lower at 104.4 million metric tonnes compared to China's 148.5 million metric tonnes, indicating significant growth in India's output over the years.

Advantages and Challenges

While this achievement is significant, it raises concerns about crop diversification and nutritional security. Paddy cultivation has expanded even into water-scarce areas, and the yield is uneven across different states.

Steady Increase in Production

Since 1969-70, India has seen over a 36% increase in the area under paddy cultivation, with production nearly quadrupling. The area under paddy cultivation expanded from 43.66 million hectares in 2019-20 to 51.42 million hectares in 2024-25, with corresponding production increases from 118.87 million to 150 million metric tonnes.

Global Comparison

• India and China are leading rice producers globally, with Bangladesh (36.6 million metric tonnes) and Indonesia (34.1 million metric tonnes) trailing significantly.

India's Rice Stock

India's rice stock in the central pool has reached 63.06 million metric tonnes as of January 1, 2026, which far exceeds the buffer stock requirements under the National Food Security Act, 2013. The expected stock requirement was only 7.61 million metric tonnes.

Government Measures

• The government is actively trying to offload rice in the open market and use it for ethanol production.
• During the 2023–24 kharif marketing season, 525.48 lakh metric tonnes of rice were procured, with significant contributions from Punjab, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

Attractiveness of Paddy Cultivation

Paddy is India's most extensively cultivated crop, covering 514.23 lakh hectares across about 800 districts by 2024-25. It offers higher returns to farmers due to assured procurement on a Minimum Support Price (MSP) basis, with net returns at Rs 56,226 per hectare in 2021-22.

Export Significance

• India is the leading exporter of rice, exporting 6 million tonnes of basmati and 14.13 million tonnes of non-basmati rice in 2024-25, earning $5.9 billion and $6.5 billion, respectively.

Issues with Paddy Cultivation

Paddy is a highly water-intensive crop, requiring 1-3 tonnes of water per kilogram. This has led to groundwater depletion, particularly in areas like Punjab. The yield varies significantly across states, with Punjab averaging 4,428 kg per hectare, while the national average was 2,929 kg per hectare in 2024-25.

Efforts Towards Crop Diversification

• The government is encouraging farmers to transition from paddy to other crops through an incentive program potentially funded by savings from rice economic costs.
• Oilseeds and pulses are being promoted for cultivation in place of rice to reduce import dependence.