System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
By buddha3
@buddha3 (1026)
India
October 3, 2011 7:43am CST
Have you heard about the SRI method of paddy cultivation? It is a method of growing rice which uses very less water, less seeds, absolutely no chemical fertilizers or pesticides and it reportedly gives very high yield with less inputs and less land.
What are your thoughts on it? should we encourage such methods? Are you ready to pay marginally more for such organic products?
2 responses
@mammots (3209)
• Philippines
5 Oct 11
the Philippines is a rice eating nation. its our staple food. our meals would not be complete without rice but our country does not produce enough rice for every Filipino that is why we import a lot of rice from other rice producing countries. i am not very familiar with our countries policies and programs regarding rice production but i am sure our country supports programs that improve our capacity to produce rice and the quality of rice we produce for our own use and for export purposes. organic products are expensive only in the beginning because of its limited availability and high cost of production, but in the long run, when this technology is made available to a lot of farmers then the price will eventually be lowered and affordable to all.
@buddha3 (1026)
• India
5 Oct 11
You are right. As you might be knowing, even India consumes lot of rice and is a major producer of rice. Specially in South Indians' meals rice is the primary thing.
As far as Philippines is concerned, the SRI system has been tried there also and successes have been reported. Lot of farmers are showing interest in this method in your country.
Cost of organic produces is not very high if they are grown with a little thought and with some basics. But it's costlier just because it's not same as inorganically grown food!! Of course Gold and Steel don't cost the same, do they?
Thanks for your inputs on Philippines.
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
3 Oct 11
Hi Buddha, if this method can yield more rice with less chemical fertilizers and pesticides and limited land usage, why is the price higher than normal rice?
I should expect the price to be lower than the normal rice which uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
The best is to research and produce stronger seeds with resistance to everything, then we can enjoy cheaper rice, and farmers can earn more money.
I read that my government is pumping millions into the research for better seeds with high yield.
@buddha3 (1026)
• India
4 Oct 11
The price would be more because of the simple market rule. Whatever is new and scarce, is charged more. May it be your new model of phone or a rarely found or seasonal fruit or anything.
There are very few farmers who employ such methods and hence the availability of organic food is very less. Hence the price is more to cover its marketing and handling costs. We must value the efforts of farmers who go out of the way and take risks to grow organic food.
As and when the production and usage of organic produce increases the price will naturally come down.
