Summer Rice / Rabi Rice

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• The Rabi season in India starts from November-February to March-June. The rice that is grown during this period is called Rabi rice or Summer Rice.
• Summer rice is known by different names in different parts of our country. For example: it is also known as known as 'Boro' in Assam and West Bengal, 'Dalua' in Orissa, 'Dalwa' in Andhra Pradesh, 'Punja' in Kerala and 'Navarai' in Tamil Nadu and 'Garma' in Bihar.
• The sowing time of summer rice is November to February and harvesting time is March to June.
• The area under summer rice is only 9% and early maturing varieties are mostly grown in this season.
• After the harvest of kharif rice, the land will be either left fallow or cultivated with a suitable crop in the following rabi season.
• The time gap between the harvest of the kharif rice and the cultivation of the rabi crop depends upon the suitability of the prevailing weather, availability of water, etc.
• Sowing of Rabi rice has gained momentum in the Southern Peninsula in recent times. As per reports in 2004, about 35 lakh hectare area has been covered against 32 lakh hectares sown last year in the corresponding period. Reported area sown under Rabi rice in West Bengal is about 13.5 lakh hectares which is ahead by about 2 lakh hectares as compared to last year's coverage.
• The normal area under Rabi rice is about 42 lakh hectares in 2004. West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh account for two thirds of the area and it is mostly irrigated.