Year 2024, Volume 9, Issue 1
| Year : | 2024 |
| Volume : | 9 |
| Issue : | 1 |
| Authors : | Gurpreet SINGH, Sangeet RANGUWAL |
| Title : | RESOURCE CONSERVATION THROUGH DIRECT SEEDED RICE: EVIDENCE FROM INDIAN PUNJAB |
| Abstract : | In India, 40–45 per cent of the total acreage used for cereal crops under rice, which is the primary food crop for more than 70 per cent of the country's population. Punjab State known as the ‘food bowl of India’ contributed about 25 to 30 rice and 35 to 40 per cent wheat to the central pool during the last one decade. Under the prevailing conditions of free electricity supply to the farm sector and assured marketing of paddy in the state that makes paddy the most remunerative kharif season crop, the farmers are reluctant to move towards crop diversification. When used as an alternative to the conventional puddled transplanted rice (PTR), direct seeded rice (DSR) saves money, resources, time, and energy without sacrificing the environment. With this backdrop the present study was carried out in Punjab during 2021–2022 in Sri Mukatsar Sahib district having the highest area under the DSR. The area under DSR was 84.9 thousand hectares only forming about 3 per cent of the total area under paddy. Use of all the farm inputs was lower on DSR farms as compared to PTR farms except seed, plant protection chemicals (PPC) and micro-nutrients. DSR generated significant savings in the use of human labour (41%), machine (12.63%), fertilizers (15.06%) and irrigation water (15.90 %) in comparison to PTR. Groundwater productivity for PTR (Rs 7.33 per m3) was also lower than for DSR (Rs 8.61 per m3) as a result of much higher groundwater usage. In economic terms, the net returns over variable cost were higher by about 13 per cent in DSR than PTR because of lower variable costs for DSR. The cost in production of one kg grain using DSR was found to be lower by about 15 per cent than in PTR and the input energy involved in the same was Rs 7.84 MJ as compared to 8.86 MJ respectively. All this points to the fact that there is a strong need to generate more awareness of recommended DSR production practices among the farmers along with government initiatives like subsidizing the cost of DSR per acre and further research and development efforts which can help in rapid extension of area under the DSR. |
| For citation : | Singh, G., Ranguwal, S. (2024). Resource conservation through direct seeded rice: evidence from Indian Punjab. AGROFOR International Journal, Volume 9. Issue No. 1. pp. 5-15. DOI: 10.7251/AGREN2401005S |
| Keywords : | DSR, PTR, Punjab, Production Technologies |
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ISSN 2490-3434 (Printed)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
ISSN 2490-3442 (Online)
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