Rice cornerstone of food security: President Murmu

Cuttack: Stating that rice is the cornerstone of food security in the country and a key factor of the nation's economy, President Droupadi Murmu said, "though India is the leading consumer and exporter of rice today, the situation was different when the nation got Independence... those days, we were dependent on imports to meet our food requirements."

Inaugurating the second Indian Rice Congress at ICAR-National Rice Research Institute here on Saturday, the President praised the National Rice Research Institute. "If the nation could overcome that dependency and has become the largest exporter, a lot of credit goes to the National Rice Research Institute. It has contributed immensely to India's food security and also in improving farmers' lives," she said.

Speaking about the challenges faced for cultivation of rice, the President said: "Even as rice has broken new ground, there are places where traditional varieties are facing challenges. Thus, the task before us today is to find the middle path -- preserving and conserving traditional varieties on one hand, and maintaining ecological balance on the other."

Another challenge is to save the soil from excessive use of chemical fertilizers, which are considered necessary for modern rice cultivation, she added.

The President further said: "As rice forms the bedrock of our food security, we must consider its nutritional aspects too. Large sections of low-income groups depend on rice, which is often the only source of daily nutrition for them."