New Delhi, March 10 Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology is showing "encouraging results" across several states and could potentially cover up to 60 per cent of India's rice cultivation area, senior government officials and agricultural scientists said, calling for urgent adoption of water-efficient farming systems amid a deepening groundwater crisis.
Speaking at a conference on DSR, Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh said new seed technologies and crop protection innovations would be critical to transforming Indian agriculture.
"We are actively looking at new biologicals, improved crop protection chemistry, and next-generation seed technologies, including hybrid and gene-edited varieties. When combined with improved agronomic practices, these technologies can become real game changers for Indian agriculture and help us move toward more sustainable farming systems," he said in a statement.
Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson, PPVFRA (Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority), said DSR has the potential to significantly improve efficiency in rice cultivation while reducing input costs.
With India cultivating rice on nearly 44 million hectares, he said, even partial adoption of DSR could lead to "massive savings" in groundwater, irrigation energy, and greenhouse gas emissions.
"We estimate that 20-60 per cent of India's rice area could potentially transition to DSR depending on agro-ecological conditions," he said.
Mohapatra, however, cautioned that adoption of new agricultural technologies has "often been slow and challenging," and stressed that collaboration between the public and private sectors would be essential.
The urgency of the transition was underscored by alarming groundwater data.
Ajai Rana, Chairman, Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and CEO & MD, Savannah Seeds, noted that groundwater extraction in Punjab had reached nearly 156 per cent of annual recharge, while Haryana stood at around 137 per cent.
Producing one kilogram of rice requires roughly 3,000–5,000 litres of water, he said, adding that agriculture accounts for nearly 80 per cent of India's freshwater withdrawals.
A K Singh, Former Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, said rice would remain central to India's food security, but that production systems must evolve.
"Direct Seeded Rice offers an important pathway for sustainable intensification of rice systems, supported by strong research, improved seed varieties, and effective extension services," he said.
On the ground, the benefits are already visible. Mehat Lal Bisen, a progressive farmer from Madhya Pradesh, shared that adopting DSR had helped him reduce labour costs and water use while improving overall efficiency.