Punjab has registered a significant increase in the adoption of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) with area under the water-saving cultivation technique breaching the 4-lakh-acre mark in the 2026 Kharif season — a 36% jump over last year and the highest in five years.The Punjab Agriculture Department data shows that 31,478 registered farmers have brought 4,00,433.26 acres under DSR. The Punjab government will end up paying nearly Rs 61 crore to farmers for this shift considering that provides an incentive of Rs 1,500 per acre to those adopting the DSR.The latest figures show a an increase of 1.06 lakh acres over last year’s 2.94 lakh acres, translating into a 36.2% spike. The jump is more than twice the 16% increase recorded in 2025 over 2024, indicating that more farmers are gradually regaining confidence in the technology after years of fluctuating adoption.The growth, however, remains heavily concentrated in south-west Punjab. Fazilka has emerged as the state’s biggest DSR district, with 1,55,422.77 acres under cultivation by 12,063 farmers. It is followed by Sri Muktsar Sahib, where 1,06,038.81 acres have been covered by 7,345 farmers. Ferozepur ranks third with 38,088.59 acres under DSR and 1,929 farmers, followed by Bathinda with 18,429.87 acres and 1,774 farmers, and Sangrur, where 9,416.59 acres have been brought under DSR by 1,006 farmers.Must Read | Why India’s rice production surge raises concerns over food security, sustainabilityTogether, these five districts account for more than 81% of the total area under DSR in Punjab, highlighting that adoption continues to be driven primarily by the cotton-growing belt where water conservation and labour shortages have encouraged farmers to switch to the technology.At the other end of the spectrum is Ludhiana East, which recorded the lowest area with only 70.01 acres under DSR and nine registered farmers. It was followed by SBS Nagar with 603.46 acrescovered by 76 farmers, Hoshiarpur with 611.13 acres and 112 farmers, Pathankot with 627.78 acres and 207 farmers, and Malerkotla, where 1,032.55 acres have been brought under DSR by 86 farmers. The low adoption in these districts reflects differences in soil conditions, irrigation facilities and cropping patterns compared to south-west Punjab.The overall increase, however, marks another step in the revival of DSR after years of mixed success. The Punjab Agriculture Department formally promoted the technology in 2010 to reduce groundwater depletion. Adoption initially remained modest before rising rapidly, touching 4.07 lakh acres in 2015. However, technical issues such as weed management, unsuitable soils and nutrient deficiencies caused farmers to lose confidence, resulting in a sharp decline between 2016 and 2019.Story continues below this adThe Covid-19 pandemic gave DSR a boost as labour shortage made conventional paddy transplantation difficult. The area under DSR crossed 12-lakh acres mark in 2020 and further increased to 13.89 lakh acres in 2021. As migrant labour returned after the pandemic, the acreage declined sharply to 1.71 lakh acres in 2022, improved marginally to 1.73 lakh acres in 2023, increased to 2.53 lakh acres in 2024, reached 2.94 lakh acres in 2025, and has now climbed to 4 lakh acres in 2026.Also Read | In El Niño year, direct seeded rice finds traction with farmersUnlike conventional paddy cultivation, where seedlings are first raised in nurseries and transplanted into flooded fields, DSR involves sowing seeds directly into moist soil using specialised seed drills. The technique requires the first irrigation only after about three weeks and is estimated to save 15–20% water per acre, besides reducing labour requirements. With groundwater levels continuing to decline across Punjab, agricultural experts believe wider adoption of DSR will be crucial for making paddy cultivation more sustainable.Narinder Singh Benipal, joint director (Plant Protection), Punjab, said the sharp increase in DSR area this year reflects growing confidence among farmers in the technology. “More than 31,000 farmers have adopted DSR this year against over 25,000 last year, which is an encouraging sign. The highest adoption continues to be in the south-western districts, where farmers have become more familiar with the technology and are witnessing its benefits. These districts have emerged as the backbone of Punjab’s DSR programme,” he said.“Farmers who are following the recommended package of practices are also getting incentives from the government, and this is also increasing their confidence. We are continuously providing technical guidance and field-level support so that more farmers, especially in central and Doaba districts where adoption, can shift to this technology in the coming years,” he said.