A Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) initiative by the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), an Indian Council of Agricultural Research agency, in partnership with the SBI Foundation, has shown that rice yields can rise 8-13 per cent over conventional transplanted cultivation across seasons. The project also demonstrated a 21-23 per cent reduction in cultivation costs per acre, leading to higher net returns for farmers.
Using Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensors, farmers were also able to cut water use by 25-35 per cent. “This has proved the viability of DSR cultivation compared to the water-intensive traditional method,” an IIRR spokesperson said.
DSR is a cultivation method in which rice seeds are sown directly in the main field, without raising nursery seedlings or carrying out manual transplantation.
Encouraged by the results, the area under DSR cultivation in the project villages expanded by 5,947 acres within a year, generating an estimated additional economic benefit of about ₹7.73 crore for farmers.
“The rapid increase in DSR adoption reflects growing farmer confidence in climate-resilient and water-saving rice production technologies,” the spokesperson said.
The IIRR initiative, supported financially by the SBI Foundation, was implemented during 2024-26 in the undivided Nalgonda and Khammam districts of Telangana. The programme combined scientific research, precision agriculture technologies, mechanisation and intensive farmer outreach.
Rice is cultivated over nearly 47 million hectares in India, producing around 140 million tonnes annually. Telangana has emerged as one of the leading rice-producing States, with over 4.6 million hectares under cultivation and output of 1.7 crore tonnes.
“Rice cultivation is increasingly facing challenges such as rising input costs, excessive water consumption, labour shortages, delayed transplanting operations and greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional transplanted systems,” the spokesperson said.
This has created an urgent need for sustainable and resource-efficient alternatives in rice production. As part of this effort, the institute launched the DSR initiative to address these challenges.
The programme initially covered 1,000 farmers across 20 selected villages in the two districts.
DSR is practised in two forms — dry DSR, where seeds are sown in dry soil using tractor-operated seed drills before the monsoon, and wet DSR, where sprouted seeds are broadcast manually or sown using drum seeders in wet fields.
The method requires fewer seeds and significantly reduces labour and water use — two major contributors to rising cultivation costs. Farmers also harvest the crop nearly 10 days earlier, enabling quicker turnaround for the next crop cycle.
Published on May 21, 2026