Direct Seeded Rice: An Emerging Resource Saving Production Technology of Rice in Bhagalpur District (Bihar)

The study was carried out at the farmer fields during Kharif season (2015-16 to 2017-18) in seven villages of four blocks of district Bhagalpur, Bihar. All 54 demonstrations on rice crop were demonstrated in 29 ha area by the active participation of farmers with the objective to show and popularize the improved technologies of rice production (Direct Seeded Rice-DSR) potential developed at Bihar Agricultural University Sabour, Bhagalpur (Bihar). Specifically it examines the changes in farmers’ inputs (labour and materials) and level of productivity and incomes between direct-seeded rice (DSR) and traditionally transplanted rice (TPR) and finally measures the economic return on investment in direct seeding. Analyses included comparison of means of all inputs, cost and return and economic surplus framework. Results revealed that the average yield of all farmers under DSR was 2.60% lower than TPR. However, on comparing the cost of cultivation of DSR farmers with TPR farmers, it was observed that the DSR farmer had (a) higher expenditures on herbicides; (b) lower expenses on fertilizer, fuel, and rent cost for land preparation and (c) lower labour costs for seedbed preparation and care, crop establishment and fertilizer application. In this way the sum of the total cost of cultivation in DSR was reduced by Rs. 8941 /ha than TPR. DSR also recorded the maximum net return (Rs. 42857/ha) and benefit: Cost ratio (2.95).

On the basis of above findings it may be concluded that the DSR method of rice cultivation is more economical than TPR as it reduced the cost of cultivation by 37.9% and gave maximum net return as well as benefit cost ratio.