Rice, one of the major foreign exchange earner and the second most important food crop of Pakistan belongs to the genus oryza. There are 18 valid wild species distributed mainly in Asia, Africa, and America. Of the two cultivated species, oryza sativa is cosmopolitan, while oryza glaberrima is confined to Africa.

The extension of rice culture had led to differentiation of the races. Rice crop is elastic in its cultivation as it grows at different latitudes. Equally elastic is its duration. The earliest varieties are harvested in 85 to 90 days. In contrast, there are verities which take 240 days to mature. Rice is considered a short day plant. Varieties may be sensitive or insensitive to day length, temperature, or to both.

Prior to the ‘green revolution’ in 1960’s, the traditional rice varieties of Sindh were Kangni, Sonhari, Jajai, Bungolo, Lari, Sugdasi, Motia, Ratria, etc,. In 1967 short varieties were imported from the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) Philippines, and introduced in Pakistan. The variety introduced was Irri-8. It at once became popular with the cultivators but due to the chalkiness in grain, with greater percentage of breakage during milling, it lost its popularity.

Efforts were, therefore, made to replace Irri-8 with some high yielding variety having clear grains. For this purpose over 300 varieties were brought from Irri and tested under local condition and finally Irri-6 was selected. This variety has stuff stem, short stature, great fertilizer response and high yielding than Irri-8. It possesses longer, finer, and less chalky kernals. Its total crop period from transplanting to harvesting is 110 to 120 days. Average yield is 60 to 70 maunds per acre. It is high yielding and comparatively less susceptible to rice stem bores. Today Irri-6 holds about 75 to 80 per cent acreage of rice crop in Sindh which is about 1.4 million acres.

In 1983, the Rice Research Institute Dokri (Larkana) developed a short duration variety, the DR-83. Its total crop period from transplanting to harvesting is 85 days and the recommended period of cultivation is after July 15 to the first week of August. Due to this merit, the DR-83 is cultivated at the tail-end rice area where water for irrigation is supplied late. As a matter of fact the shortage of irrigation water in Sindh has enhanced the scope of this variety because following the late supply of irrigation water, the majority rice area in upper Sindh becomes suitable for the DR-83 variety having the transplanting period after mid July. Here it would be proper to mention that Irri-6 paddy transplanted after this period is considered the late crop. Since the last Kharif season another fine variety known as the “Rusi basmati” has taken over the DR-83 due to its fine and longer grain size, better cooking quality, and competitive price.

One more fact which has enhanced the scope of Rusi basmati under the upper Sindh climatic condition is its sensitiveness to the day’s length and the temperature which allows cost-effective yield even if it is transplanted at the end of August. So mush so this year, the cultivation of this variety was undertaken up to September 10, both in the cotton growing belt and at the chronic tail-end rice area of Shahdadkot, Dokri, Khairo Warah, etc,. Inspite of the fact that the total crop period of the Rusi-bastmati is more than the DR-83 (85-90 days) but it is harvested in November, no matter if it is transplanted in late August or the first week of September.

In 1980’s cultivation, the Rusi basmati was restricted to the Taluka Lakhi of Shikarpur district on area not more than 5,000 acres. But since the last two years, following the acute irrigation water shortage and the late release of water in the canals of rice and cotton growing belts, have enhanced the scope of this variety. Last year, as well as during this Kharif many areas, both in the rice and cotton belts, irrigation water was supplied very late in June or the first week of July which was not a suitable period for cotton sowing.

Since the growers had no choice but to switch-over to the paddy, large scale illegal cultivation with the Rusi basmati was undertaken in all the cotton growing districts of upper Sindh viz: Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur, Naushero Feroze and Nawabshah on an area of over 150,000 acres, as per conservative estimates based on the field survey.

Similarly, for the first time this year large-scale switching over from Irri-6 and the DR-83 to the Rusi basmati was also observed in upper Sindh, particularly in Taluka Warah, Shahdadkot, Mirokhan, Garhikhairo, Garhiyasin, Dokri, etc, covering approximately over 70,000 acres.

Suggestion: In view of the expected large-scale production of the Rusi-basmati rice this year from the acreage of over 200,000 acres, it is suggested that the Export Promotion Bureau must take notice of this development and should strive for appropriate export market of this variety like the Basmati and Irri, of Pakistan.