How the Western “Green Revolution” Continues to Sabotage Rice Production in India

The first big blow to India’s vast diversity of indigenous varieties of rice was delivered by the green revolution monocultures. Now the second big blow is likely to be delivered by GM/gene edited monocultures, if the efforts to introduce these succeed.

A myth has been spread that India needed green revolution rice to prevent starvation. The reality is that under the able leadership of Dr R.H. Richharia, the then Director of the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, his team was ready to introduce the most promising rice improvement program based on indigenous varieties. This was sabotaged by imposing green revolution dwarf varieties. Dr Richharia had to leave his top post with great regret.

However such was his eminence and respect that when the green revolution rice varieties ran into all sorts of problems, he was brought back by the government to head a task-force on what problems the new green revolution dwarf varieties had created and what could be done to resolve the worrying situation.

This task-force on rice breeding consisting of eminent experts which met at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) in Cuttack in 1979 tried to identify some of the causes – mainly the narrow genetic base of the exotic rice HYVs, their unsuitability for much of the rice growing region of India and their alarming susceptibility to pests and diseases. Some remarks of the task force are worth quoting, (in these quotes HYVs should be taken to mean exotic HYVs also known as green revolution varieties):

In the words of the task force,

“Most of the HYVs are derivatives of T(N)1 or I.R.8 and, therefore, have the dwarfing gene of dee–geo-woo-gen. This narrow genetic base has created alarming uniformity, causing vulnerability to diseases and pests. Most of the released varieties are not suitable for typical uplands and low lands which together constitute about 75 per cent of the total rice area of the country. To meet these situations, we need to reorient our research programmes and strategies.”

In a reference to the increased pest susceptibility of the now crops, the task force says,

“The introduction of high yielding varieties has brought about a marked change in the status of insect pests like gall midge, brown plant-hopper, leaf folder, whorl maggot etc. Since most of the high yielding varieties, released so far, are susceptible to major pests with crop loss of 30 to 100 per cent, development of high yielding varieties with built-in-resistance has become highly essential to stabilize the yields.”

Development of pest-resistant varieties is no doubt very important, but when it comes to examining the past record in this field, again the task force had sad things to tell.

“The results of the insect resistance breeding programme so far are not very encouraging. Even though a few varieties have been released as resistant to pests, except Ratna, no other variety is having a good spread in the country. A good stem borer resistant variety is yet to be developed for which a good donor is to be first identified.

“For gall midge, even though the donors are highly resistant, unfortunately most of the resistant varieties, released so far in the country, are either poor yielders or do not show consistency in resistance when grown in different locations. Here also high yield and stable and high degree of resistance are yet to be combined. ” Referring to some specific efforts, the task force reported, “During 1977 Kharif (crop season), when the gall midge resistant cultures were grown in new endemic areas Singeda, Kune and Bandu in Bihar, most of the promising resistant cultures recorded susceptible reaction suggesting possible presence of a new virulent biotype of rice gall midge in these areas.”

While disease-related problems were getting worse in some respects solutions were not in sight. Specifically regarding the problem of sheath blight, the task force reported.

“The disease is now becoming more serious due to the increased plant population density, high tillering and higher nitrogen dose… so far varieties with a high degree of resistance have not yet been identified.”

To the findings of the task force given above (made in 1979), we may only add that most of these problems of exotic HYVs still persist; in fact these are inherent in the exotic varieties not at all well adapted to the environmental conditions in which these are grown in India.

Later as green revolution rice continued to have serious problems, the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi asked Dr Richharia to prepare a plan for improving rice cultivation based on his understanding and ideas. He promptly and dutifully prepared this plan but this could not be implemented following the assassination of Mrs Gandhi in 1984.

Now we come to Dr. Richharia’s this ‘specific plan for action for increase in productivity of rice’. First he identifies the factors which have retarded the increase in rice productivity in recent years despite so much increase in investments in the form of fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, research, extension etc. Then he gives his plan in brief. Dr. Richharia’s plan has three basic components –

(1) Rice development to be based on the rich indigenous germplasm which has to be explored further and preserved,

(2) A highly decentralised extension approach and

(3) Large-scale adoption of clonal propagation technique to spread improved varieties

According to Dr. Richharia (all quotes from the plan)

“The main constraint has been the hurried introduction of the undesirable new rice material, the HYVs (dwarfs) on which we based our strategy, replacing even the reputed high yielding rices of the locality, forgetting at the same time unexpected drought situations, under which the HYVs lowered the yields. In addition, under heavy fertilization and irrigation the HYVs proved to be susceptible to diseases and pests which cannot be controlled easily thus again pointing towards reduction of yield.”

At another place in the plan be writes

“The most immediate and major cause can be attributed to frequent replacements of the adapted rice varieties in a locality, partly or fully. This is because the agro-ecological balance has been disturbed in the environment in respect of the existing germplasm which had been built up in course of time for centuries by the natural process of empirical breeding and selection establishing ecological balance in different environments, what in modern times can be interpreted as ‘ecological breeding’ (term coined by a Japanese worker in 1959).”

Fortunately, indigenous high-yielding varieties, adapted to local environment are available in the country. In a survey carried out in Madhya Pradesh between 1971-74, 8 per cent of the indigenous rice types were observed to fall under the category of high yielding types, fixing the minimum limit of 3705 kg/Ha.

In view of this there is a need to redefine ‘HYVs’ which hitherto have been officially identified only with the exotic dwarf fertiliser – responsive varieties.

In the area of research as well as extension, Dr. Richharia recommends a highly decentralised approach. This, he emphasises, is inherent in the nature of the rice plant. To quote,

“If we were to think of a single characteristic feature of the rice plant which yields food for millions, it cannot be anything else but its variability in the form of thousands of its cultivars, spread in India and in other rice growing belts of the world. This is because of the rice plant’s flexible genetic make-up and mutational power of adaptation.” So he recommends the establishment of a wide network of “adaptive rice centres” in all rice growing areas,

“The adaptive rice centres will be the custodian of all local rice cultivars in respective localities, assembled immediately, supplemented if necessary, by the already available materials of the locality at different research centres. They will be maintained under their natural habitat to safeguard the future. They will be known as local treasuries of rice germplasm, (a term suggested by Dr. Frankel of Australia).”

The function of the centres will be:

a) To maintain the evolved rice genetic material for future studies and use as it is practically impossible to retain it in its original form at a central place in India or abroad. It can only be maintained in its original condition at its natural habitat only seeking help of the rice growers themselves.

b) To educate the young farmers to appreciate the value and importance of their own material adding new ones as their hobby.

On the basis of his wide experience Dr. Richharia says

“Invariably I found in rice areas some rice growers taking keen interest in their local rice varieties as they are very much absorbed in them and they have all praise for them, so much so that they trace back the history of individual rice varieties to their ancestry with their utility and such selected and devoted rice farmers will be put in charge of the centres.”

These views of Dr Richharia for a highly decentralized approach based on protecting and growing diversity of indigenous rice varieties remain highly relevant in present times.

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Via https://www.globalresearch.ca/india-rice-cultivation-indigenous-vast-diversity-varieties/5896826