Changing pattern of rice production in eastern India: An economic analysis

The present study analyses the trend in area, production and productivity of rice along with dynamics of cost of cultivation and profitability in the states of eastern India using secondary data of the period 2000-2019. Rice is one of the most important foodgrain crops in eastern India which constitutes about 49 percent of gross cropped area and 62 per cent of area under foodgrain crops. Area under rice observed declining trend in eastern India during 2000-19 but there was marginal increase in rice area (0.32%) during 2010-19, which was mainly due to increase in rice area in Jharkhand during the period. The decline in rice area in Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal was due to decline in net sown area whereas weather aberration was responsible for its decline in Chhattisgarh. Despite decrease in rice area, production increased due to progressive increase in productivity during the period. Despite adoption of modern technology in rice cultivation, there was no significant change in earning net income during the last 15 years. The situation changed in 2017-18 when return to operational cost increased to more than 40 per cent in Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar but it was less than 10 per cent in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam. Hence, profitability in rice production may not increase by increasing only productivity but rationalization of cost seems to be more important strategy in eastern India for increasing profitability in rice cultivation.