Rice Cultivation - common problems

India's population is expected to be 1.2 billion by 2012. The demand for rice in India is projected at 128 million tonnes for the year 2012 and will require a production level of 3,000 kg/ha significantly greater than the present average yield of 1,930 kg/ha.Major constraints to rice production that India faces are land, water, labour and other inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, and even high quality germplasm, without affecting the already degraded and stressed agricultural environment. The problems/constraints in rice production vary from state to state and area to area.Some of the major problems in rice cultivation
About 78% of the farmers are small and marginal in the country and they are poor in resource.
The problems of flash floods, water logging/ submergence due to poor drainage are very common in East India.
Continuous use of traditional varieties due to the non-availability of seeds and farmers lack of awareness about high yielding varieties.
Low soil fertility due to soil erosion resulting in loss of plant nutrients and moisture. Low and imbalanced use of fertilizers, low use efficiency of applied fertilizers particularly in the North-Eastern and Eastern States.
The Eastern region experiences high rainfall and severe flood almost every year which lead to heavy loss. Heavy infestation of weeds and insects/pests. Delay in monsoon onset often results in delayed and prolong transplanting and sub-optimum plant population (Mostly in rainfed lowlands). In the years of scanty or adverse distribution of rainfall, the crop fails owing to drought etc.