Rice Agriculture and Food Security in West Bengal, India

West Bengal stands among top three rice producing states in India.  Rice is the staple food for the state and cultivated annually in 6.2 million hectare.  However the state registered an average of 32% households live below poverty line (BPL)  and  who cant not meet the minimum daily requirement of calorie. The percentage is much higher in rural areas.  It  is fourth populous states of India and seventh in global standing.    The state remains  in moderately alarming  category considering the hunger  index.  

Proverty  looms in the rural  household  at large. Earlier study showed  a family  of  four  consume  2kg of rice per day .   Daily meal   lacks  protein at large. The NFHS-3 revealed that  72% of the children   66% of  the pregnant and married women  and 45% of the   me are anemic.

The  agricultural scenario of the state ,having seventy percent small and marginal  farmers, is not promising  too,  Productivity and production of the  rice is either staggered or   less than average  in  half of years  over a decadal period. rice production decline by 12.2% between 2002-11 -  a negate signal for food security. Predicted climatic change also  a danger for this  environmentally fragile state.

  Traditional Poor rice production system failed to meet   food requirement of a ever growing  population, was overtaken  by modern rice  management  since 1970’s. That  too fallen short of requirement in  late  90’s.Weak rice economy ,high inputs  cost debarred farmer’s  adoption of modern  rice  technology and  sustain livelihood.    

 Seeds of climate resilient traditional rice cultivars  depleted  significantly because of  their  low productive  sustainability.  Indigenous ricers having different  health and social value rejuvenated  in a limited  way under  new  global market.  However high productive sustainable   agriculture supported by  suitable  market  only  bestow food security to growing   rural and urban population   of waste Bengal.