Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The prospects for hybrid rice in India

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food Security Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The government of India has set a target of expanding the cultivation of hybrid rice to 25 % of the area occupied by the crop by 2015. Current growth trends suggest that this target will not be met, despite the potential contribution of hybrid rice to lagging growth in national rice yields, overall rice production, land-use reallocation and food security. This unfolding experience suggests a different trajectory from that of China, where hybrid rice accounts for more than half of the area under the crop and has contributed significantly to yield and output growth, reallocation of land to other agriculture and non-agricultural uses and food security. This paper examines the technical challenges, market opportunities, and policy constraints relating to hybrid rice in India.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The eight innovation and delivery hubs included five in India, two in Bangladesh, and one in the Terai region of Nepal. The data and information presented in this paper are drawn from a sample of districts in which CSISA operates in Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu.

  2. Recommended seeding rates ranging from 15 to 30 kg/ha for transplanted hybrid rice, depending on agroecological conditions and other management practices. These seeding rates are generally lower than rates for inbred rice. See Virmani et al. (1998) and Xie and Hardy (2009) for further discussion.

  3. Given the high rates of hybrid rice adoption reported in the CSISA baseline survey relative to other sources, it is worth noting possible issues relating to data quality and accuracy. One issue is that although the CSISA baseline survey specifically asked farmers about their familiarity and experience with hybrid rice, it is possible that farmers, enumerators, or both did not accurately distinguish among hybrid rice, high-yielding (modern inbred) rice varieties, and traditional (land race) rice varieties. Alternatively, it is possible that the districts covered by the CSISA baseline survey were characterized by progressive farmers or more vibrant seed and input markets relative to all-India figures, thus resulting in high rates of hybrid adoption. That said, the CSISA baseline survey data are not implausible in light of state-level adoption rates reported by Francis Kanoi Marketing Research (2009).

  4. If our objective were to evaluate efforts at promoting hybrid rice in India or to study the determinants of hybrid rice adoption, then pursuing an empirical approach along the lines of Diagne and Demont (2007) would allow us to isolate the average adoption rates among those farmers who had been exposed to hybrid rice, a measure analogous to the average treatment effect from the program evaluation literature. Since we are not attempting to evaluate efforts at promoting hybrid rice or study determinants of adoption, the referenced figures, which do not necessarily characterize the joint distribution of exposure and adoption, do a reasonable job of summarizing the footprint of hybrid rice within the context of Indian rice cultivation.

  5. See Tripp and Pal (2001) for an early mention of the private sector’s role in hybrid rice.

  6. Higher amylose content (20–25 % or more) gives cooked rice a high volume and dry quality with well-separated grains, whereas a lower amylose content (below 20–25 %) gives cooked rice a moister, stickier quality (IRRI 2012).

  7. For example, IR58025A is the female parent for popular Indian hybrids such as PHB 71 marketed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International.

  8. By way of comparison, consider that current global investment for maize research is in the order of $1.5 billion, and primarily from the private sector.

  9. For example, this precautionary principle was applied to Bt eggplant in India. Although Bt eggplant had reached the advanced stages of India’s regulatory process in 2009, its release became the subject of an indefinite moratorium in 2010.

  10. Several experts interviewed for this study suggested that of the more than 100 hybrids in circulation in India, many are imitations and copycats of the popular commercial hybrids from Bayer CropScience and Pioneer Hi-Bred International mentioned earlier.

References

  • Baig, S. U. (2009). “Hybrid rice seed scenario in India: problems and challenges.” Accessed June 2010. www.apsaseed.org/docs/00b9aab6/ASC2009/SIG/HybridRice/Rice_India.pdf.

  • Barwale Foundation. (2009). Barwale foundation annual report 2008–09. Hyderabad, India: Barwale Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chengappa, P. G., Janaiah, A., & Gowda, M. V. S. (2003). Profitability of hybrid rice cultivation: evidence from Karnataka. Economic and Political Weekly, 38(25), 2531–2534.

    Google Scholar 

  • CSISA (Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia) (2011). CSISA Baseline Household Survey. New Delhi: International Rice Research Institute/International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center/International Livestock Research Institute/International Food Policy Research Institute.

  • Diagne, A., & Demont, M. (2007). Taking a New look at empirical models of adoption: average treatment effect estimation of adoption rates and their determinants. Agricultural Economics, 37(2–3), 201–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Directorate of Rice Development. (2011). Notified rice varieties in India during 1996–2010. Patna: Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture and Co-operation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feder, G. (1980). Farm size, risk aversion and the adoption of new technology under uncertainty. Oxford Economic Papers, 32(2), 263–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Cornejo, J. (2004). The seed industry in U.S. agriculture: An exploration of data and information on crop seed markets, regulation, industry structure, and research and development. In Agriculture Information Bulletin AIB 786. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis Kanoi Marketing Research. 2009. A Study on Paddy in India. (2009). A syndicated report on seeds. Chennai: Francis Kanoi Marketing Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuglie, K., Ballenger, N., Day, K., Klotz, C., Ollinger, M., Reilly, J., Vasavada, U., & Yee, J. (1996). Agricultural research and development: Public and private investments under alternative markets and institutions. In Agricultural economics report 735. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • IRRI (International Rice Research Institute). (2005). Terminal report of the IRRI-ADB project: Sustaining food security in Asia through the development of hybrid rice technology. Los Banos: IRRI.

    Google Scholar 

  • IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) (2012). “Rice knowledge bank: The chemical characteristics that determine the quality of milled rice.” Accessed August 6, 2012. www.knowledgebank.irri.org/postproductioncourse/Additional/MilledRice/1._Chemical_characteristics_determining_quality.htm.

  • IRRI/AfricaRice/CIAT (International Rice Research Institute/AfricaRice/CIAT) (2010). “GRiSP.” Accessed August 7, 2011. www.grisp.net/uploads/files/x/000/068/9c1/GRiSP%20Full%20Proposal.pdf?1312766027.

  • Janaiah, A. (2000). Economic impact of crop management on performance of hybrid and inbred varieties of rice (Oryza sativa) in India: evidences from farm level study. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 70(2), 77–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A. (2002). Hybrid rice for Indian farmers: myths and realities. Economic and Political Weekly, 37(42), 4319–4328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A. (2003). Hybrid rice in Andhra Pradesh: findings of a survey. Economic and Political Weekly, 38(25), 2513–2516.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A. (2010). Hybrid rice adoption in India: Farm-level impacts and challenges. In Report of an ANGRAU-IRRI collaborative study. Los Banos and Rajendranaga: IRRI/Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A., & Hossain, M. (2003). Can hybrid rice technology help productivity growth in Asian tropics? Farmers’ experiences. Economic and Political Weekly, 38(25), 2492–2501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A., & Hossain, M. (2005). Hybrid rice research: Will it have an impact on India’s rice economy? In P. K. Joshi, S. Pal, P. S. Birthal, & M. C. S. Bantilan (Eds.), Impact of agricultural research: post-green revolution: Evidence from India. New Delhi/Patancheru: National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research/International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janaiah, A., Hossain, M., & Husain, M. (2002). Hybrid rice for Tomorrow’s food security: can the Chinese miracle be replicated in other countries? Outlook on Agriculture, 31(1), 23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, I. (2008). “Hybrid rice: An Indian perspective.” Accessed June 2010. http://apsaseed.org/images/lovelypics/Documents/SCs/Hybrid%20rice_india.pdf.

  • Kuyek, D., Zamora, O. B., & Quijano, R. (2000). Hybrid rice in Asia: an unfolding threat. Manila and Los Baños, Philippines: GRAIN/KMP/MASIPAG/UBINIG. www.grain.org/article/entries/34-hybrid-rice-in-asia-an-unfolding-threat. Accessed Nov 2012.

  • Li, J., Xin, Y., & Yuan, L. (2010). Hybrid rice technology development: Ensuring China’s food security. In D. J. Spielman & R. Pandya-Lorch (Eds.), Proven successes in agricultural development: A technical compendium to millions fed. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J. Y., & Pingali, P. L. (1994). An economic assessment of the potential for hybrid rice in tropical Asia: Lessons from Chinese experience. In S. S. Virmani (Ed.), Hybrid rice technology: New developments and future prospects. Selected papers from the international rice research conference. Manila: International Rice Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, M. L. (1998). Maize seed industries in developing countries. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pray, C. E., & Nagarajan, L. (2010). Pearl millet and sorghum improvement in India. In D. J. Spielman & R. Pandya-Lorch (Eds.), Proven successes in agricultural development: A technical compendium to millions fed. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramasamy, C. A., Janaiah, A., Selvarajan, K. N., & Hossain, M. (2003). Hybrid rice in Tamil Nadu: evaluation of Farmers’ experiences. Economic and Political Weekly, 38(25), 2509–2512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampath, S., & Mohanty, H. K. (1954). Cytology of semi-sterile rice hybrid. Current Science, 23, 182–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seednet (2007). “Seed replacement rates, 2007.” Accessed May 2, 2010. http://seednet.gov.in/Material/SRR-08.pdf.

  • Spielman, D. J., Kolady, D., Cavalieri, A., & Rao, N. C. (2011). The seed and agricultural biotechnology industries in India: An analysis of industry structure, competition, and policy options. In IFPRI discussion paper 1103. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tripp, R., & Pal, S. (2001). The private delivery of public crop varieties: rice in Andhra Pradesh. World Development, 29(1), 103–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viraktamath, B. C. (2011). “Hybrid rice in India—current status and future prospects.” Rice Knowledge Management Portal (RKMP), Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad, India. Accessed September 7, 2012. www.rkmp.co.in/sites/default/files/ris/research-themes/Hybrid%20rice%20in%20India.pdf.

  • Viraktamath, B. C., & Nirmala, B. (2008). “Economics of hybrid rice seed production in India.” Accessed June 2010. http://hrdc.irri.org/images/5thHybridRiceSymposiumPresentations/47.%20Nirmala_Economics%20of%20HR%20Seed%20Production%20in%20India.pdf/.

  • Virmani, S. S. (1994). Hybrid rice technology: New developments and future prospects. Selected papers from the international rice research conference. Manila: International Rice Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Virmani, S. S., Siddiq, E. A., & Muralidharan, K. (Eds.). (1998). Proceedings of the 3rd international symposium on hybrid rice, November 14–16, 1996, Hyderabad, India. Manila: International Rice Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, F., & Hardy, B. (Eds.). (2009). Accelerating hybrid rice development. Los Baños: International Rice Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was prepared as a contribution to the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and as a contribution to IFPRI’s wider research agenda on agricultural production technologies with funding from the institute’s Strategic Innovation Fund. The authors thank Tony Cavalieri, Sushil Pandey, Mahabub Hossain, Harun-Ar-Rashid, Achim Doberman, Fangming Xie, Jiming Li, Md. Taj Uddin, Nicholas Magnan, Kajal Gulati, Akhter Ahmed, Xingliang Ma, Vartika Singh, and Mark Rosegrant for their comments, as well as participants who commented on earlier versions of this paper at the 28th Triennial Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists, held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, August 18–24, 2012. The authors also thank Lorena Danessi and Jyotsana Dua for their administrative support. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, and that any and all errors are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K St NW, Washington, DC, 20006, USA

    David J. Spielman

  2. International Programs, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Deepthi E. Kolady

  3. International Food Policy Research Institute, National Agricultural Science Center (NASC), CG Block, Dev Prakesh Shastri Marg, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Patrick S. Ward

Authors
  1. David J. Spielman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Deepthi E. Kolady
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Patrick S. Ward
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David J. Spielman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Spielman, D.J., Kolady, D.E. & Ward, P.S. The prospects for hybrid rice in India. Food Sec. 5, 651–665 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-013-0291-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-013-0291-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation