Rainfed paddy is staple crop for the tribal communities in the Central India belt. Nearly all the states under Central India Initiative
have paddy cultivation during the Kharif season. However, the cultivation area under paddy and the dependency on paddy as a staple crop
is more in the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh and parts of Maharashtra.
When one maps the districts under rainfed paddy, it shows that nearly 80% of districts
would be such, where paddy dominates as the main staple crop.
The eastern states
like Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh under Central India Initiative are the key rice growing
states.
However, the productivity in these states is low given traditional cultivation practices,
erratic rainfall, etc. This leads to food insufficiency for the tribal households.
CInI envisages improving this condition by promotion of Kharif Paddy Stabilization
(KPS), which focuses on ensuring year round food security through improved cultivation
practices along with promotion of critical irrigation support.