Direct Rice Sowing Method Helps Save Around 20% of Water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
A major transformation is taking place among paddy farmers in Ballari district, Karnataka state, India, with many adopting direct rice sowing (DRS), giving up the water and labour-intensive replantation method.
This way they are saving around 20% of water.
Rice, source: Pixabay
A farmer will be able to save an estimated minimum 25% on his input cost and there will be reduced dependence on water under DRS. As the State stares at yet another drought and agricultural labour is scarce, this is a particularly relevant, say Agriculture Department officials.
The Tungabhadra dam has not been filled owing to failure of rain for two years, resulting in reduced flow in the river. Water was not let into canal for raising the second crop in the Tungabhadra command area.
“There has been lot of enthusiasm among farmers to switch over to the DRS method. The department has been extending assistance and guidance to farmers, besides giving them an incentive of ₹4,000 per ha with a ceiling of only 2 ha. Going by the pace, we hope that the technology will be adopted in about 10,000 ha,” Shivanagouda Patil, Deputy Director Agriculture, told The Hindu.
Read more: The Hindu
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