Chhattisgarh Pushes Direct Seeded Rice to Save Water and Costs Amid Monsoon Uncertainty

The Chhattisgarh government has issued an advisory urging farmers to adopt the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) method for paddy cultivation, moving away from the traditional transplanting method. The advisory, released on July 3, 2026, comes as the state faces uncertainty in rainfall due to the El Niño climate phenomenon, which typically weakens the South Asian monsoon.

Direct Seeded Rice involves planting seeds directly into the soil, either manually or using machines. This method has been practiced historically, but fell out of favour with the advent of assured irrigation and the transplanting method, which involves growing seedlings in a nursery before transplanting them into flooded fields. Transplanting requires significantly more water, with estimates suggesting 2,500 to 3,000 litres per kilogram of rice produced, making paddy one of the most water-intensive crops.

The government advisory highlights several benefits of DSR: it saves approximately 20% water, reduces cultivation costs by about ₹5,000 per acre, and allows the crop to mature 12–15 days earlier. Modern innovations have addressed earlier challenges, such as weed management. Ashok Kumar Singh, former director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, notes that mechanised seed drills and tractors now enable precise sowing, while new-generation herbicides and herbicide-tolerant rice varieties help control weeds without harming the crop.

Transplanting, while effective for weed control due to anaerobic conditions from flooding, has downsides. It is labour-intensive, and labour shortages are common in areas like Chhattisgarh. Additionally, flooded fields produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas; India's paddy fields release about 3.7 million tonnes of methane annually. However, farmers often argue that urban emissions are far larger.

Chhattisgarh is a major rice producer, having procured 141 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in the last Kharif marketing year. The state has about 25.24 lakh registered farmers, with over half the population dependent on agriculture. The government procures paddy at ₹3,100 per quintal, underscoring the crop's economic and political significance. However, nearly 75% of paddy-growing areas, especially in the Mahanadi basin, are rain-fed, and irrigation facilities remain limited.

The advisory is significant as it promotes a method that reduces water use and costs, which is crucial given the state's reliance on monsoon rains and the looming threat of El Niño. By adopting DSR, farmers can mitigate risks from erratic rainfall while also contributing to environmental goals by lowering water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.