India Now World’s Largest Rice Producer

05-Jan-2026 10:51 AM

New Delhi. The Union Agriculture Minister has claimed that India has surpassed China to become the world's leading producer of rice, while it already holds the position of the largest exporter.

According to the Agriculture Minister, rice production in India has reached a record high of 150.18 million tonnes, which is more than any other country in the world.

While releasing 184 new varieties of 25 crops for commercial cultivation, the Agriculture Minister said that the use of these high-yielding varieties of seeds will lead to a significant increase in the production of various crops and boost farmers' income.

He instructed his ministry officials to ensure that these new varieties of various crops are made available to farmers as soon as possible.

These new varieties have been developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and will soon be used in the fields.

The Agriculture Minister stated that India has achieved remarkable success in developing new varieties of high-yielding crops.

Since 1969, a total of 7,205 varieties of seeds of various crops have been developed, including paddy, wheat, sorghum, maize, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and jute.

Rice is cultivated in all states of India, and its acreage has increased significantly in recent years. The cultivation of new varieties over larger areas is regularly increasing the average yield. As a result, India has now become the world's largest producer of paddy and rice.