July 3,2026, Chhattisgarh government urged farmers to switch to Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), leaving traditional transplanting behind. State's dealing with erratic rainfall,thanks to El Niño, threatening farm stability.
DSR means sowing seeds straight into the soil,either manually or with machines. Farmers used this method when irrigation was scarce,relying on monsoon rains. But transplanting took over post-Green Revolution, with guaranteed irrigation. Transplanting involves growing seedlings in nurseries before moving them to fields — controls weeds but needs a lot more water.
Transplanting rice guzzles 2,500-3,000 liters of water per kilogram of rice. DSR,meanwhile, slashes water use by 20% and cuts costs by about ₹5,000 per acre . Plus,crops mature 12-15 days faster.
DSR tech's come a long way . Ashok Kumar Singh,former director at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, said innovations have upped the game. Modern drills,tractors help with plant spacing, and new herbicides manage weeds without hurting crops. Farmers are taking note.
Transplanting faces hurdles. Costs hit ₹5,000 per acre,and Chhattisgarh farmers can't find enough workers. Labor's short even with decent pay. And paddy fields pump out greenhouse gases — 3.7 million tonnes of methane from India annually. Farmers argue cities pollute more.
Chhattisgarh's big in India's paddy game,with 141 lakh metric tonnes procured last Kharif year. Nearly 25.24 lakh farmers make agriculture crucial here, impacting over half the population. Government backs paddy farming at ₹3,100 per quintal. But much of the area, especially Mahanadi basin,relies on rain,with 75% lacking proper irrigation.
Groundwater's dropping, thanks to more domestic use in rural areas. In Chhattisgarh,DSR hasn't caught on like in Punjab and Haryana,where groundwater issues and tight sowing schedules push farmers toward DSR .
DSR equipment,like super seed drills,remains scarce. High cost — around ₹1.5 lakh — puts off smallholders. Farmers from other states rent out machinery,but it's not enough.
Some farmers worry government advice came late . Land needs leveling before DSR, a time and resource-heavy task. Laser leveling tools common in Punjab and Haryana aren't easy to find here. Still,many see DSR as necessary, especially with ongoing labor shortages…
