Paddy Sector Research Articles

Does Demographic Backgrounds Affect Agricultural Drone Technology in Granary Areas?

The adoption of technology in paddy sector appears to have coincided with the advancement of the country’s development, as the agricultural sector is likewise undergoing the Industrial Revolution 4. Over the years, the Malaysian rice production system has faced a number of challenges, including extreme weather conditions, poor soil fertility and nutrient management, farmers’ lack of awareness and knowledge, reluctance to use genetically modified planting materials, and poor technology deployment. Despite the adoption of drone in the paddy farming is seem gradually increasing, the factor effecting the adoption remains unclear. Thus, this study investigates the association between socio-demographic profiles and their adoption towards drone technology in selected granary areas. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 paddy farmers using a self-administered questionnaire, selected through cluster random sampling. Result found that there are no association between age, education level, experience, farm size and income. The finding recommend that government should provide opportunities for all paddy farmers regardless their background in adopting drone technology to improve the modernization in paddy industry.

The shortest way to diffuse agricultural innovations: A network study in the paddy sector in Türkiye

The study revealed the diffusion processes of agricultural innovations and the influential advice sources in the diffusion process by using the network approach. The study sought to answer the questions of how agricultural innovations diffuse in the paddy sector, how agricultural innovations can be delivered to paddy farmers in the most concise form, and what are the typical characteristics of influential advice sources. Data were collected using questionnaires from paddy farmers, input suppliers, rice mills, and other relevant people and organizations in 2017. Social network analysis was used to analyze farmer advice networks, and Ordinal Logistic Regression was used to identify the common characteristics of influential actors in the network. The research results indicated that the farmers were a bridge between innovation creators and other farmers. The local pesticide dealers were the intermediary position among the paddy farmers with the innovation creators. Collective action, membership in agricultural organizations, social status, and project experience were influential factors in being an advice source. The study found that agricultural innovations in the paddy sector can diffuse most quickly from innovation creators to local pesticide dealers and farmers.

The Digitalization Approach in The Paddy Sector To Achieve The Self-Sufficiency Level In Malaysia

“Digitization indeed presents a valuable opportunity to tackle the pressing challenges of productivity, sustainability, and resilience in agriculture. The evidence of its adoption and impact in the agriculture sector highlights notable increases in production and crop resilience. In the specific context of paddy production in Malaysia, the government consistently underscores the importance of embracing digitization in this sector. This paper aims to explore how a digitization approach can be effectively utilized in paddy production to attain self-sufficiency levels (SSL) in Malaysia. Additionally, it identifies key issues and challenges that need to be addressed to achieve self-sufficiency in paddy production. These challenges include: natural resource scarcity: agricultural productivity & innovation and climate change. To ensure the sustainability of paddy production and the successful adoption of digitization, governments play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. In conclusion, the integration of digitization in paddy production is a promising strategy for Malaysia to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production. However, it requires a comprehensive approach that addresses challenges related to resource scarcity, productivity, demographic shifts, and climate change. Governments have a critical role in facilitating this transition by providing support, knowledge, incentives, and a conducive environment for innovation and technology adoption in the agricultural sector.

Rice variety and sustainable farming: A case study in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The Mekong Delta (MKD) produces more than half of the total rice production in Vietnam. In the context of climate change, the Vietnamese government has implemented a development strategy for rice production in the MKD region to improve quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proportion of aromatic and high-quality rice production is gradually increasing to satisfy the export market. However, there is still an over-reliance on agrochemicals and the impact of overall efficiency of major rice groups is not well understood. This study measures the overall efficiency (OE) and input slacks of rice production in the MKD and considered low-emission rice farming. Using primary survey data from 380 households, the super-slack based measure (super-SBM) in data envelopment analysis (DEA) was employed to calculate the efficiency scores and non-radial slacks of each farm. The results indicated that both aromatic rice (AR) and high-quality rice (HR) groups achieved higher OE in the autumn-winter (AW) season than in the summer-autumn (SA) season. In addition, OE also increased in paddy farms greater than two hectares and in households that have cooperative membership and practice climate smart agriculture (CSA). For the input reduction strategies based on slacks, it was found that each rice group should have the seed density reduced by amounts ranging from 29 to 45 kg/ha. N fertilizer should also be reduced by 33 kg/ha and 35 kg/ha in the SA and AW seasons, respectively. It was estimated that rice farming can correspondingly mitigate N2O emissions by 62−74.2 kg/km2 in the SA season and 64.7−73 kg/km2 in the AW season. Overall, the super-SBM model was effective in simultaneously estimating the overall efficiency and input overuse among paddy fields. In addition, the ranking of “super-efficient” rice farms also supports the restructuring policy of the government in establishing AR and HR production areas for export. Among the adaptation strategies, households that practice CSA techniques have smaller slacks of N fertilizer and irrigation. Low-emission paddy sector development in the MKD favors AR and HR if the CSA techniques are continuously promoted and strictly monitored by the Vietnamese government.

Design, Development and Performance Evaluation of a Seed Paddy Cleaning Machine

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food crop in Sri Lanka occupying 34% of the total cultivated area. Seed paddy production is one of the major economic activities in the paddy sector, which is fully mechanized only at the large-scale level. Unavailability of an affordable mechanical solution is a big barrier for entering small and medium scale producers in to the seed paddy industry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to introduce an efficient and affordable electrical motor driven small or medium scale paddy cleaning machine for seed paddy production. The main components of the machine are paddy sieving unit, blowing unit and stone separator. According to the variety of paddy, the sieve size of the sieving unit can be changed. The performance of the machine was evaluated using paddy samples with purposely added light and heavy impurities such as straw particles and different sized stones. The suitable speeds for the better operation of sieve, separator and blower were 90, 200 and 960 rpm, respectively. The separation percentages of the large, light, and same size impurities were 96%, 74%, and 86%, respectively. The effective capacity of the machine was 252 kgh-1 with 79% mechanical efficiency. Based on the overall satisfactory performance, the newly built paddy cleaning machine can be recommended to small and medium scale paddy farmers in Sri Lanka. The machine can be further developed with a magnetic separator for removing iron particles.

Sustainable farming techniques and farm size for rice smallholders in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: A slack-based technical efficiency approach

Small farm size and fragmented land are considered constraining agricultural development. This study uses the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey 2016 (VHLSS 2016) dataset to measure the technical efficiency of rice smallholders and its determinants, including farm size, in the Mekong Delta. Data envelopment analysis was employed to examine efficiency scores in the first stage based on data of 506 paddy farms. The overall efficiency calculated through slack-based measure was low at 0.59 and the input slacks were quite large. This indicated that local farmers have not been using their resources efficiently in producing paddy. Further, farms smaller than 2 ha faced low overall efficiency at 54% and higher slacks in terms of all input types. The second-stage Tobit result showed that all types of efficiency could be improved if farmers expanded their farm size and reduced the over-use of inputs. Thus, enabling small farms to achieve economies of scale through collective farming in the Large Field Model (LFM) will be critical for upgrading production efficiency and reducing slacks as labor costs rise and natural resources are constrained. It is recommended that farmers should follow strictly eco-friendly farming packages in order to reduce their current excessive usage of seed cost by 28 USD/ha, pesticides by 61 USD/ha, and fertilizers by 155 kg/ha to reach efficient production frontier. The government needs to take measures to replicate and closely monitor climate smart agriculture programs in large-scale production to improve the overall efficiency of paddy sector, in addition to the important goal of protecting the environment and natural resources of the region. Availability of data and materialsThe VHLSS 2016 questionnaire section and dataset analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Machinery and Technical Efficiencies in Selected Paddy Areas in Malaysia

Malaysia’s paddy sector frequently relies on machinery in its activities, from land preparation until harvesting. However, the shortfall of meeting domestic demand, ineffective use of machinery, mismanagement, and technical inefficiency were among the sector’s challenges. This study analyses the socio-economic effect on machinery and technical efficiencies in Malaysia’s Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) and Integrated Agricultural Development Area Barat Laut Selangor (IADA BLS) paddy areas. Qualitative data were collected using a face-to-face interview. The results confirmed that MADA respondents were highly trained, more educated, and more efficient in using machinery in the agriculture sector than IADA BLS. The same goes for MADA’s productivity, energy outputs, machinery efficiency, labour, and technology use, which were higher than IADA BLS. However, inadequate planning and managing farm activities led to poor paddy field conditions, including insufficient water supply system, irregularly shaped paddy field plots, and increasing difficulties in handling paddy diseases and maintaining the machinery. These challenges resulted in a frequent interruption of paddy production activities, incurring additional costs, decreasing profit, and jeopardising the farmers’ financial status. Therefore, it is recommended to use types of machinery that fit a particular purpose in terms of cost and technology and ensure the required services are carried out on time to maximise machinery efficiency. On the other hand, technical efficiency’s main challenges were the high operation cost and increasing fossil fuel use, combined with a lack of government subsidies. Research and development in agricultural energy use, environment, and government subsidies could decrease production costs and improve paddy production.

How COVID 19 effect Malaysian paddy industry? Adoption of green fertilizer a potential resolution.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in more than 4.3 million confirmed cases and more than 2,90,000 deaths worldwide. It has also given rise to fears of an imminent economic crisis and recession. Social distance, self-isolation, and travel restrictions have led to a reduction in the workforce across all economical sectors and have led to a loss of many jobs. Schools have closed down, and the need for commodities and manufactured goods has decreased. On the other hand, the need for medical supplies has increased significantly. The food sector is also facing increased demand as a result of panic buying and storing food products. In response to this global outbreak, we summarize the socioeconomic effects of COVID-19 on the various aspects of the world economy. In Malaysia, the COVID-19 epidemic has checked the resilience of the agriculture sector. Especially the Malaysian paddy industry as country imports 30% of its overall consumption from different parts of the world. The real price of rice triplicating for the consumers, which was alarming for nations in this pandemic situation. The Government of Malaysia introduced the National Agrofood Policy 2011–2020 (NAP4) in 2010 as a guidance document for the implementation of agricultural sector development programs and projects in Malaysia. The NAP4 ‘s 10-year term is to be finished by the end of 2020. Several sectors demonstrate substantial success after approximately 8 years of introduction, while the other classes often lag behind the goal and progress quite slowly. Agricultural sector performance is affected by many problems and challenges. In acknowledgment of the poor success of this field, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Based Industry has launched new approaches, policies, and programs that can change the agricultural sector more rapidly. The new direction is aimed at ensuring national food security and boosting farm and revenues. The authorized government agency needs to revise the policy formulation where Malaysia needs to set stages to revolutionize and modernize the rice farming to address the problem faced by the paddy sector in this pandemic situation to adopt GF. In this study, the researcher focuses on the improvisation of the policy to increase the paddy production sustainably.

Group farming and productivity in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority of Malaysia

The paddy sector is a strategic sector in Malaysia. This is due to its importance in the context of rice self-sufficiency, income generation and job opportunities especially for the rural population. The Malaysian government has set the goal of achieving self- sufficiency level in rice production at about 65-70% of local consumption. In order to achieve the objective, the government has implemented many strategies, the group farming project in Muda Agricultural Devevelopment Area (MADA) is one such strategy. The study was conducted on four MADA areas representing three schemes, namely the 10 tones Project, Estate Paddy Project, and Model Farm Project. The proportionate multistage stratified random sampling technique involving the area sampling method and the systematic method was employed to select 664 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument to elicit information. An econometric model and other statistical techniques were used to estimate the effects of group farming project on productivity and farmers’ income. The study makes a number of suggestions for improving the effectiveness of group farming projects. Recommendations are included in the project planning and implementation of group farming, and the importance of subsidy on paddy production for farmers in the study area.

Modelling a Marketing-based Solution for the Paddy Marketing Crisis in Sri Lanka: Case of the Upuldeniya Warehouse Storage Receipt System

The issue of paddy marketing characterizes the paddy sector crisis, as farmers cannot realize the expected price at the harvesting period due to the bulk of supply. This paper attempts to study the effectiveness of a new marketing-based model – Warehouse Storage Receipt System (WSRS) - to solve the paddy sector crisis in Sri Lanka. Primary data for the study were drawn from field surveys conducted among farmers and traders in the Huruluwewa Agriculture Colonization Scheme in the Anuradhapura district, and in-depth interviews were conducted among the officers in the Upuldeniya WSRS in the scheme. A descriptive-analytical technique was employed in the study due to the nature of the investigated problem. The results first indicated that a majority of paddy farmers sell their harvest during the harvesting period at the lowest price, leading to inadequate net income from paddy farming. Secondly, the study revealed the oligopolistic nature of paddy marketing structure, since a few large-scale traders handle a substantial share of the farmers’ production. The lower financial capability of the farmers to cover variable costs of paddy farming and pre-modern economic characteristics of the paddy marketing channel have allowed large-scale traders to grab the farmers’ production at a minimum price during the harvesting period. Thirdly, WSRS evaluation has revealed that the farmers could enhance the net income of paddy farming by adequately marketing their harvest via the WSRS, as it improves the harvest holding capability of farmers until they realize a Farmer Expected Price (FEP). The study modelled that the WSRS leads to improve market competition through supply management, and thereby gradually increases the price at the harvesting period and shortens the price movement period to create equilibrium, which has been the farmers’ expectation.

Do price subsidies lead to over application of fertilizers? an analysis of <em>Kethata-Aruna</em> Program of Sri Lanka

Paddy sector has always been given special treatments by successive governments of Sri Lanka and among the treatments, provision of subsidized fertilizer to smallscale paddy farmers has been recorded as the most expensive program. It has been argued that provision of subsidies had led to the sub-optimum application of fertilizers. This study examined the pattern of chemical fertilizer application by the farmers and paddy yields during the period 2005-2015 where a price subsidy on fertilizer was implemented. During this period, the chemical fertilizer levels recommended by the Department of Agriculture were provided at a rate of Rs. 350 per 50 kg bag to the paddy farmers by the Agrarian Service Centres. A production function was estimated in quadratic form using data extracted from cost of cultivation reports of the Department of Agriculture to determine the effects of application of fertilizer on paddy yields. The results of econometric estimation revealed that the effect of urea application on yield was positive and statistically (p<0.05) significant. A simulation exercise was performed to compare potential urea application levels under alternative fertilizer price levels for a profit maximizing farmer. The results indicated a potential over application of fertilizers beyond the recommended levels under the subsidized price levels. However, in practice, farmers could not purchase quantities that would have given them the maximum possible profit as only the recommended levels were provided under the subsidy scheme. The results further indicated that profit maximizing farmers may continue to use urea fertilizers even if the price subsidy is removed.

The impact of world crude oil price on the liberalisation of Malaysia’s paddy industry

Abstract Malaysia has adopted an open economy policy to boost its economic growth and per capita income. As a small and open economy, the country is susceptible to external shocks such as the 2008 financial crisis. Moreover, the increase in the international food price and the shortage of food in early 2008 imposed a new challenge to the national paddy sector. Besides, the increase in average world crude oil prices from USD 69.08 per barrel in 2007 to USD 101.56 per barrel in 2009 saw accompanied escalation in world food commodity prices, resulting in increases in input costs and hence the cost for food production. This paper examines the impact of the world crude oil price on the liberalisation of Malaysia’s paddy industry using system dynamics analysis. The two types of inputs impacted by crude oil price are fuel and fertiliser price. The results showed that 120 litre per hectare of diesel and petrol is the rate of fuel used in paddy production. The fertiliser consumption is 388.53 kilogram per hectare. The removal of fuel subsidies accompanied by the increase in the world crude oil prices significantly impacts farmers’ income and productivity levels as it triggers higher production expenses. The simulation results of the policy suggest that the subsidy rationalisation programme will free up more funds for product development such as precision farming technology as well as increased farm practices by farmers. Keywords : crude oil price, farmers’ income, machinery cost, paddy industry, productivity, system dynamics

O USO DA CASCA DE ARROZ COMO ALTERNATIVA ENERGÉTICA: UM ESTUDO DE CASO NO MUNICÍPIO DE DOM PEDRITO - RS

A biomassa é uma fonte de energia limpa e quando corretamente utilizada possui pouquíssima emissão de poluentes. Esse trabalho apresenta a queima da casca de arroz em uma empresa do setor orizícola, no município de Dom Pedrito – Rio Grande do Sul, para geração de energia, o destino do excedente de casca e para onde são enviadas as cinzas resultantes da queima, tendo por objetivo estudar a geração de energia através da queima de casca de arroz, quantificando as cascas de arroz convertidas em energia bem como as que não são aproveitadas na queima e o destino das cinzas após a queima. O procedimento metodológico é caracterizado como um estudo de caso realizado na empresa Coradini Alimentos, na qual também foi aplicado questionário estruturado para levantamento de dados, a fundamentação teórica foi realizada através de levantamento bibliográfico. Com a queima da casca de arroz resolveu-se um grande problema ambiental causado pela liberação de gases prejudiciais ao meio ambiente decorrentes do descarte incorreto da mesma, além de reduzir custos com transporte e armazenamento da casca, diminuição de mão-de-obra, eliminou a compra de lenha, além disso, possibilitou a geração de energia elétrica que hoje em dia é um dos principais fatores para se medir a qualidade de vida das pessoas.

The ironies of new innovation and the sunset industry: Diffusion and adoption

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Malaysian economy. Within the agriculture sector, paddy is considered important as it is the staple food for the nation. Innovation is considered as an important and necessary component in the development of agricultural activities, while communication is the powerful tool to further strengthen this sector. Technology adoption would only take place if innovation is driven by farmers’ need. Innovation diffusion technology transfer and adoption are all inter-related facets in increasing crop production. This study examined the influence of innovation attributes, communication channels and awareness in aiding diffusion and adoption of green fertilizer technology innovation in paddy farming in Malaysia. Past innovation diffusion studies have had limited emphasis on the importance of communication for diffusion and adoption of green fertilizer technologies. Hence, there exists a gap that demands specific studies to be undertaken. This study adopted a quantitative method through survey dissemination to fulfil the aim and objective of this study. 366 paddy farmers were selected from Perak to be the respondents. Demographic and multiple regression analysis were carried out on the data. Examining these results is an important first step toward understanding factors that could make the paddy sector in Malaysia more sustainable. From the analyzed data, this study found that certain attributes which are compatibility, interpersonal communication, mass media and awareness have an influence on green fertilizer technology adoption among the local farmers in Malaysia. The results indicate that the level of farmers awareness and information about innovation in general, innovation diffusion process and the extent of attributes in innovation. The study have several implications for government agencies and policy makers in the agricultural sector. Impact of study on Malaysian context are also proposed.

The environmental life cycle assessment of agricultural sector in Thailand: EIO‐LCA approach

AbstractAgriculture is one of the major sectors in Thailand, with more than half of the population employed in agriculture‐related occupations. This study evaluated energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Thai agricultural sector by applying the economic input–output life cycle assessment (EIO‐LCA) approach. The model evaluates the entire agricultural sector supply chain. Based on one million Thai baht (approximately $27,800 U.S. dollars) final demand of the rice paddy sector, the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity sector are responsible for 27% (1,246 kilograms [kg] CO2) of the total CO2 emissions, whereas the emissions from paddy activities associated with the fertilizers and pesticides sector account for 16% (760 kg CO2) and 11% (513 kg CO2), respectively. The top three largest GHG emissions from the total agricultural sector supply chain are associated with the oil palm, the coffee and tea, and the fruit sectors. The government should promote and encourage sustainable agriculture by reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides and by utilizing energy‐saving technologies.

Climate Change Induced Adaptation Strategies by Paddy Farmers: Special Emphasis on Socio Economic Insights

Climate change is inevitable and will continue into next century. Since the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is most vulnerable to climate change, a thorough understanding of adaptive measures is important for formulating effective policy decisions. This study provides an overview of the status of climate change and adaptation in the paddy sector in Anuradhapura District. Proportionate sampling was done and total of 100 households were studied. 36% of the farmers had the education up to tertiary level. 72% of respondents heard the term “climate change”. The relative importance of adaptation strategies to climate change was analyzed and found that increased use by insuring farm against risk was ranked first and thus most important, among farmers’ adaptive strategies to climate change. Use of supplementary reservoir for water storage, shift to shorter cycle crop varieties and planting improved rice varieties were identified as the second-ranked adaptation strategy. The shifting of harvesting period was ranked as the last one. The shifting of harvesting period was ranked as the last one. T test results showed a significant difference (p

Application of geographic information system (GIS) for site specific management of paddy production systems - a case study in Kamburupitiya divisional secretariat (DS), Sri Lanka

Geographic Information System (GIS) has been known as a powerful tool to analyze spatial data and this technol-ogy is recently applied to agricultural sector in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to apply the GIS technology to man-age information in efficient way to develop the paddy sector under Kamburupitiya Divisional Secretariat (DS), Sri Lanka. An extensive field survey was conducted to collect 77 soil samples at a depth of 5-20 cm and GPS locations were recorded for each sample. The information related to Machineries used in Paddy production was collected by a survey using a questionnaire. Yield data were collected from Agrarian Services Centers. The pH meter, Walkley & Black rapid titration method and Kjeldhal method were used to determine soil pH, organic carbon and soil nitrogen content respectively. ArcView GIS 3.3 software was used for the spatial analysis and mapping. Results of the study revealed that land areas with suitable pH and soil organic carbon are 3936.96ha and 791.99ha respectively. Soil Nitrogen content was very low. The yield per unit area vary from 1,111.3 to 4,769kg/ha/year. There are considerable usages of machineries for rice cultivation including two wheel tractors, four wheel trac-tors, threshers, harvesters and sprayers.

LINKAGES, POTENTIAL AND SPATIAL EFFICIENCY OF PADDY PRODUCTION IN EAST JAVA

East Java has a big role in supplying agricultural product for nasional logistic. The problems are not completely resolved, regional development planning should integrate sectoral and spatial approach. The focus of study is to analyze the linkage of rice production to other sectors, in order to develop rice production. Research using the Input-Output models, Location Quotient to measure the degree of relative specialization of a region, and DEA to measure the performance of spatial efficiency. The result used IO table in 2010, contributors backward linkage of paddy sector are paddy sector itself, fertilizer and pesticide sector, also agriculture services and hunting, while the backward linkage contributors are paddy sector itself, rice sector, and food products and beverages. Spatially there are 28 areas that are able to serve the market of paddy products. If related to production efficiency, there are nine areas are included in the category of efficient production, with input in the form of land, and the number of farmers. Policy Implication related to the findings of input output approach, are the affordability of input proces, the streamlined of input distributing system, and the goes on education and information to the farmer about input usage. Whereas, related to the spatial aspect, in soft infrastructure as strengthening internal capacity of farmer and instructor. In the other hand, hard structure aspect especially restoration of irrigation, allocating best seed and fertilizer for farmer.

Why the fertilizer subsidy should be removed: key factors that actually derive the fertilizer demand in paddy sector of Sri Lanka

This paper examines the factors affecting demand for fertilizer in paddy production in Sri Lanka. A panel-data analysis (1990-2011) reveals that demand for fertilizer is negatively affected by the price of fertilizer and the price of seed paddy and positively by the price of labour. Despite strong demand for fertilizer in commercial paddy production, the impact of the subsidy on demand is low. Results indicate that mechanization will prevent overuse of fertilizer and a seed paddy subsidy will ensure self-sufficiency in rice production. We recommend that the fertilizer subsidy be removed from non-commercial areas in the short-term and from commercial areas in the long-term.

The impact of “Kethata Aruna” fertilizer subsidy programme on fertilizer use and paddy production in Sri Lanka

“Kethata Aruna”, is the existing fertilizer subsidy programme for paddy sector, which was implemented in 2005 in Sri Lanka. Under this subsidy programme, the three major fertilizers, i.e. Urea, Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) and Muriate of Potash (MOP), have been heavily subsidized for paddy farmers with the intention of promoting the use of fertilizer to increase national paddy production. This paper investigates the impact of the price of paddy fertilizer on the level of fertilizer application and national level paddy production for the period 1981 to 2009. Secondary data obtained from the relevant government institutions were graphically and statistically analyzed to determine the trends and relationships of different parameters on national paddy production. The results revealed that the subsidized fertilizer prices promoted the use of recommended rates of fertilizer by farmers in their paddy crops. It also revealed that the “Kethata Aruna” fertilizer subsidy programme has triggered the paddy farmers to use more fertilizers per unit area than what they used previously. However, the imbalanced fertilizer use in the past, particularly the overuse of urea compared to TSP and MOP, was controlled by the present subsidy programme by making TSP and MOP available at the same price as of urea. About 88% of the variation of the national paddy production is explained by combined effect of total fertilizer, sown extent and the technological improvement. Results showed that a 1% increase of the input of total fertilizer has resulted in a 0.109% increase in the total national paddy production, while an increase in 1% of sown extent resulted in a 0.85% increase in the national paddy production. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 25 (1): 14-26 (2013)