IMPACT OF WEATHER ON RICE PRODUCTION IN INDIA

In India, agriculture is the core sector of our economy. In this study, I estimate the impact of weather variables on mean and variance of yields of rice ? at the district level using a large panel dataset from 1966-1999. Rice is a temperature sensitive crop. Moreover, it also requires sufficient amount of rainfall for production. Results show that higher temperature adversely affects variance of rice yields. Higher rainfall, on the other hand, reduces yield variability of rice. A degree Celsius increase in temperature is expected to increase rice yield variability by 20 percent, where as an additional 100 mm of rainfall reduces yield variability by 1 percent.