Chandigarh, Jan 5: India has surpassed China to become the world’s largest rice producer, with output touching 150.18 million tonnes in 2025, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday. China’s rice production stood at 145.28 million tonnes.
Calling it a turning point for the country’s food security, Chouhan said India had moved from dependence to global supply. “Surpassing China is a remarkable achievement. We have filled our granaries to capacity, and are no longer a nation dependent on others for sustenance,” he said at a function in New Delhi. “Today, we are a country that supplies rice to the world.”
The minister was speaking after unveiling 184 new crop varieties across 25 field crops. Addressing scientists and agricultural experts, he said, “It is our duty to contribute our utmost to building an Aatmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat.”
However, agricultural experts caution that the record production comes with serious environmental risks, particularly if Punjab’s model is replicated without safeguards.
In an interview, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal described Punjab as the “national laboratory for agriculture”, where new technologies are tested before wider adoption. “Punjab has already suffered the loss in the form of depleting water tables,” he said. “Now the same pattern will be repeated in other states, with stubble burning cases also being reported there.”
Gosal said the Centre has been promoting rice cultivation in eastern India under the ‘Green Revolution in Eastern India’ initiative, covering states such as Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. “The government has given a push to agriculture in these states with incentives, subsidies and high-quality manures,” he said, adding that the aim was to overcome structural constraints in rice-based cropping systems.
Another key driver of India’s rising output has been the spread of short-duration, high-yielding rice varieties. Varieties such as PB126, which matures in about 123 days, are disease-resistant and require less water. PR131 and PB121 are also gaining ground in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
“These varieties have boosted yields while reducing water demand, making them attractive to farmers across northern states,” Gosal said.
Looking ahead, PAU scientists are working on flood-tolerant rice varieties to support cultivation in eastern India’s flood-prone regions. “These innovations will help sustain productivity while addressing climate-related challenges,” Gosal said.
