November 19, 2003

India:  2003/04 Rice Harvest Makes Way for Rabi Season Crops

Favorable Weather Encourages Rabi Field Preparation

As of November 12, 2003, USDA forecasts India's 2003/04 rice crop at 89.0 million tons, unchanged from last month but up 13.3 million or 18 percent from last year. The current 2003/04 India rice area forecast is 44.0 million hectares, unchanged from last month but up 4.0 million or 10 percent from last year. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) declared the 2003 Southwest Monsoon favorable, as the IMD determined that India received 102 percent of normal precipitation for the period June 1 through September 30, 2003. 

Rice is the most important food grain in India. Kharif rice production typically accounts for 87 to 88 percent of India's total production.  The 2003 monsoon favored most of the Kharif rice areas. The Kharif rice crop is sown around the beginning of the Southwest Monsoon and harvested in the autumn months.  .  In the northwest Indian provinces of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, rice and cotton dominate the agricultural lands.  Both are grown under mostly irrigated conditions to supplement monsoon rainfall from June to September.  At the end of harvest, fields of rice stubble are either plowed under or burned off.  In this region, there are more tractors per capita than in most other states.  However, many India farmers remained convinced of the efficiency of burning off the rice stubble after harvest.  The advantages are savings in diesel fuel, time, and reduced pest and weed carryover into the next crop. The disadvantages are air pollution and loss of organic matter into the soil. 

This MODIS satellite subscene of the Sangrur district follows the field preparation activities occurring in this major Kharif rice growing area of Punjab. The fires are identified with red rectangles by the MODIS Rapid Response Team System. The rice production by district percentages are the green numerals.  Note that the districts with the higher values or greater percent production of India's rice crop are also those having the higher concentration of active fire indicators. For example, the district outlined in green has the greatest number of identified fires, in addition the Sangrur district produces a 1.32 percent of India's total rice crop. (seen as green numbers on image map).

	This larger MODIS satellite image covers Punjab and surrounding provinces.
MODIS satellite data is used to determine location and presence of active fires.
The farmer inspects the results of the stubble burning operations. Click on the image to view the full size.

After the rice stubble is burned off or plowed under, these areas will be sown with wheat. The wheat producing states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rahasthan are irrigated and also significant contributors to India's total wheat production.  November typically marks the start Rabi crop sowing in northwest India.  The dominant Rabi crop in these rice producing districts is wheat.  The other significant Rabi crop, rapeseed is grown just to the south of these rice-wheat districts under non-irrigated conditions. Virtually all of India’s wheat production occurs during the Rabi season (planted November and harvested in April-May).

For more information, contact James Crutchfield  
of the Production Estimates and Crop Assessment Division, FAS, at (202) 690-0135.