UP-PRAGATI Accelerator Programs (UPPAP) | 27 Jun 2024

KisanKraft Ltd, the Bengaluru-based agri-firm has joined the World Bank’s Water Resource Group (WRG)’s low methane rice project to promote the Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) in Uttar Pradesh.

The company partnered with seed companies Delta Agri Genetics and Savannah Seeds to provide its DSR seed varieties for multi-location trials.
It has developed 15 new paddy varieties suitable for the DSR cultivation method, which requires less water.
These varieties do not need stagnant water, reduce water needs by half, and also decrease the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
The company will conduct the pilots in Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Pratapgarh, Barabanki, Unnao, and Ayodhya districts.
Rice is India's most crucial food crop, using the largest portion of freshwater and occupying 28% of irrigated lands.
Due to increasing freshwater scarcity and soil degradation, new technologies like Dry Direct Seeded Rice (dry-DSR) are becoming more popular.

UP has launched an accelerator program called UP-PRAGATI in collaboration with the 2030 Water Resources Group, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the private sector.
The program aims to promote water-use efficiency and low-carbon practices in agriculture through technological and institutional innovations to boost incomes across the state.
The UP PRAGATI program aims to promote Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) across the state over the next five years on 250,000 hectares in collaboration with stakeholders.

Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), also known as the 'broadcasting seed technique,' is a water-saving method of sowing paddy.
In this method, seeds are directly drilled into the fields. In contrast to the traditional water-intensive method of transplanting rice seedlings from a nursery to waterlogged fields, this method saves groundwater.
There is no nursery preparation or transplantation involved in this method.
Farmers have to only level their land and give one pre-sowing irrigation.