The livelihoods of an estimated 15 lakh farm workers in Punjab – not counting the thousands of migrant labourers in the state - are at risk from the increasing adoption of mechanised seeding of rice
Sanskriti Talwar
Slippers of workers outside a rice field. Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
SRI MUKTSAR SAHIB, Punjab: For the past three decades, Gora Singh, a 60-year-old farm labourer, has been transplanting rice during June and July in the fields of landowning farmers in his village, Gurri Sangar, located in Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib district. These seasonal earnings were crucial for his family of five, as consistent work was always scarce.
However, this year, the spurt in the adoption of direct seeding of rice (DSR) method — which uses a tractor-powered machine called the ‘lucky seeder’ to directly drill seeds into the field — in Gora’s village disrupted this long-standing routine. For the first time in his life, he was forced to travel to the neighbouring Bathinda district in search of work this year.
In mid-June, Gora, along with 20 other labourers belonging to the Dalit community of Mazhabi Sikhs from his village, began making a daily 30-kilometre journey to Baluana village in Bathinda district. There, they found work on 40 acres of land, earning less than Rs. 8,000 per person over 15 days. Each day, they would leave home at 5 am, returning by 8 pm, hired to transplant rice seedlings at a rate of Rs. 3,800 per acre.
“For us, this is a big loss,” Gora said. “We’re not used to travelling to another village just to find work, but we have no choice. Over the past three years, many farmers in our village have opted for siddi bijae (the DSR method), so demand for our work is reducing. The government also wants farmers to switch to this method, and its we workers who pay the price.”
In late June, tragedy struck when one of their colleagues, 17-year-old Gurman Singh, was killed in an accident while returning home at night. His death, caused by a collision with another vehicle near Bhalaiana village, forced the group to halt their travels. “If we had work here, we wouldn’t have had to travel in the dark and instead could have just walked home,” Gora said.
A worker shows the picture of Gurman Singh, a farm labourer in Gurri Sangar, who died in an accident on his way home from work in a neighbouring village in Punjab. Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
This season, he and 11 others found work on just a single acre of land in their village in early July, “And that too only after pleading for it, unlike previous years when farmers would come to us,” Gora said, standing outside the field as he took a tea break from transplanting rice.
Due to their reduced bargaining power, the rates for manual transplantation work in the village were now being set on personal whims, he said. Twelve of them together received Rs 3,500 for their work on that one acre, each earning just Rs 290. Earlier, they would receive Rs 4,000 per acre.
“We spent around Rs. 100 daily on fuel for our travels, which strains our already tight budgets. Meanwhile, the cost of living just keeps rising—a gas cylinder now costs Rs. 1,000. We are struggling to manage our households, and the situation feels increasingly bleak,” Gora said.
It takes about 10 people a whole day to transplant rice on an acre of land, a task the seeder machine completes in an hour. “The machines are doing in minutes what we’ve been doing with our hands for years,” said Gora.
‘EMISSION HOTSPOTS’
Farm labourers transplanting young rice plants on a field in Gurri Sangar village in Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab. Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Rice is traditionally grown by manually transplanting seedlings from nursery beds into flooded and tilled fields. Called ‘puddling,’ this technique is a natural method to protect young rice plants, since unlike weeds and pests, rice seedlings can survive in water for prolonged periods.
But this age-old method has in recent years come under fire for a hitherto unnoticed aspect: methane emissions. Experts say that the flooded conditions in rice fields accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, releasing methane, a heat-trapping gas 28 times more potent than carbon, and a significant contributor to global warming.
The Asian Development Bank estimates that the rice cultivation accounts for 12% of humanity’s methane emissions — equivalent to 1.5% of the total warming effect of all greenhouse gases. “This is why rice fields are considered hotspots of methane gas emissions,” said Dr. Prabhjyot Kaur Sidhu, principal scientist (agrometeorology) at Punjab Agricultural University.
Further, the method of puddling, especially when done with tractors, creates a hard pan on the surface of the field, reducing water infiltration and groundwater recharge, noted Dr. Samanpreet Kaur, Professor in the Soil and Water Engineering department at Punjab Agricultural University.
Bags of migrants in the motor room on a rice field in Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Agricultural experts are therefore now recommending DSR as a solution for these problems associated with rice cultivation.
An even more urgent concern they cite is the threat of a steadily worsening water crisis, which is especially critical in the case of Punjab, given its pivotal role in India’s food security, contributing over 20% of rice grain to the central pool each year.
Since 2018-19, rice has been cultivated in more than 7.4 million acres of land annually in the state. Punjab’s shift to rice cultivation began with the Green Revolution in the 1960s, driven by extensive irrigation infrastructure and favourable government policies that incentivized rice farming in what was a traditionally wheat-growing region. This shift has played a significant role in the overexploitation of groundwater resources, leading to the drastic decline in the water table and soil quality observed today.
Punjab relies heavily on groundwater for irrigation, with over 70% of its irrigated area depending on it, sourced primarily from tube wells. This extensive use has significantly lowered the water table over the years. For now, Sri Muktsar Sahib district falls in the safe category, with water level available up to 5 feet below the ground.
Similarly alarming is the drastic reduction in rainfall received by the state. During the early monsoon season this July — coinciding with the rice sowing season — Punjab received 40% less rainfall than the average. In Muktsar, the deficit was even more severe at 55%, as per the Indian Meteorological Department.
Farmers like Gurpayal Singh in Gurri Sangar have noticed the impact, with the water level in their village plummeting to 20 feet below the ground. “If it doesn’t rain, it can hit 30 feet,” said Gurpayal, who owns six-and-a-half acres of land.
The direct seeding of rice has been put forward as a more sustainable approach that conserves water while maintaining productivity.
OF SAVINGS & LOSSES
Farmer Balaur Singh of Gurri Sangar village owns four acres of land and has benefited from the new technique.
“With DSR, I save a significant amount of water now. I also saved on labour costs, since the seeding of all four acres took less than three hours. The seeder machine, along with the tractor and fuel, which I rented from another farmer, cost me only Rs 750 per hour,” he said.
A group of migrants from Bihar pose for a picture near a rice farm in Mallan village of Punjab.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
This is the third year that Balaur has used DSR to grow rice on his land, which he says has also helped increase yields. Initially, he applied the method to only half of his land for two years, wary of "gambling" on the yield. His crop initially faced weed infestation and rodent attacks since the fields were not flooded; but, over time, he and other farmers have managed the problem by using herbicides.
Besides, after pre-sowing irrigation, his field doesn't require watering for 21 days. After that it needs to be watered weekly. But Balaur said: “The field still thrives without watering for a week.”
Direct seeding of rice saves 18-20% of irrigation water compared to traditional transplantation, according to the study ‘Agronomics and Economics Impacts of Direct Seeding of Rice in Punjab’.
Farmers are also drawn to the method as it saves them up to Rs 4,000 per acre by reducing labour needs from 10-12 person-days to just 2 person-days per acre. Add to this the state’s Rs 1,500 subsidy for DSR since 2022, and “we save up to Rs 5,500 per acre with the seeder machine, since we require fewer hands,” said farmer Gurpayal Singh.
But concerns are mounting as work shrinks on farms.
Over thirty kilometres from Gurri Sangar in Chibranwali village, migrant workers from Purnia in Bihar rued the long journeys they undertake on trains and buses for work, which was now increasingly unpredictable.
“We come here to earn a living, to support our families. Floods devastate our fields every year during the monsoon season back home. Besides, there are no jobs in Bihar,” said Mohammad Rashid, who has become a contractor, ensuring a steady supply of migrant labour to the farms in Punjab.
The migrants stay in the fan-less motor rooms - rooms where irrigation pumps and other farm equipment is stored - on the fields with a dim bulb the only source of light. During the sweltering summer months of June and July, many escape the oppressive heat by sleeping on the roof at night, and start work at 4.30am everyday, putting in 14-hour workdays.
Their comfort was the companionship of fellow villagers, which is now waning.
“We used to work together in one village, but now we’re scattered across multiple nearby villages, toiling on smaller plots. All our time is spent moving from one village to another,” Rashid explained, reflecting on how the rise in Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR) has scattered the land they’ve tilled for decades.
Even their hard-earned money stretches thin, as the prices of essentials like vegetables and rice they eat continue to soar, they say. “The government talks about removing poverty, but instead, they are removing the poor,” remarked another migrant labourer Mohammad Salam.
’15 lakh livelihoods at stake’
Farm worker Satnam Singh poses for a picture near a rice farm in Nanakpura village in Punjab.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
The benefits of DSR notwithstanding, its adoption has raised serious concerns about job losses among farm labourers.
Lacchman Singh Sewewala, General Secretary of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said the livelihoods of around 15 lakh farm labourers in the state have been impacted by the adoption of DSR on 248,000 acres in Punjab this year, and this is not counting the large migrant labourer population engaged in rice transplanting work in Punjab each year.
He suggested that non-rice cultivating regions in Punjab where cotton is traditionally grown can be revived with pest-resistant, organic cotton seeds, which would conserve water and create more jobs for farm labourers.
For now, the crisis of farm workers is dire, said Harjeet Singh, co-founder of Satat Samapda, a social enterprise promoting environment-friendly solutions.
“The sudden shift towards DSR is displacing farm workers, both locals and migrants; this change is not merely an economic issue but also a profound social and humanitarian concern, since it could exacerbate food insecurity, increase poverty, and potentially push these communities into deeper cycles of debt. The situation is even more serious for migrant labourers. Without immediate support, these workers face a bleak future,” he warned.
Outlining probable solutions, Harjeet further said, “The government must establish monitoring mechanisms, robust policy frameworks, and strengthen social safety nets like the rural employment guarantee scheme to provide immediate relief and alternative employment opportunities. This can be achieved through direct income support, reskilling programs, and community-based employment initiatives."
In Sri Muktsar Sahib, where over 78,000 acres were cultivated using DSR this year — the highest among Punjab districts — the authorities acknowledge that no government scheme currently addresses the issue of job loss among farm labourers. “If a policy to address this issue is formed at the state or central level, we will implement it,” said deputy commissioner of the district Harpreet Singh Sudan.
Satnam’s feet covered with mud from transplantation of rice in the flooded fields.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Farm workers said the problem of joblessness shouldn’t be theirs to solve alone.
“If the government is promoting direct seeding of rice among farmers, shouldn’t it also create alternative jobs for labourers like us who rely on transplantation work,” said farm worker Satnam Singh, 55, adding that unlike in the past when farmers eagerly sought them out for transplantation work, now workers were approaching them to seek work.
“The work has halved,” said Singh, as he worked on a farm in Nanakpura village with his son and daughter-in-law, the trio’s earnings feeding the family of six back home in Khunde Halal, an adjoining village to Nanakpura. “If the farmer here owns 20 acres of land, then he is directly sowing rice on 10 acres and getting the other half transplanted,” he said.
To make ends meet, Satnam and his son and daughter-in-law travelled 25 kilometres on a motorcycle to Balamgarh in early June to seek work, settling for a much lower rate, the demand-supply economics skewed against workers.
The Migration Story attempted to reach Punjab’s agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian for comments on potential support measures for affected labourers. Although he agreed to speak initially, he was unavailable when we followed up. This story will be updated when he responds.
While DSR is being presented as a cost-effective, labour saving and environment friendly option by the government, agricultural universities and other bodies, there are concerns as well.
Farms cultivated using direct seeding of rice method in Sri Muktsar Sahib district of Punjab.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Food policy analyst Devinder Sharma called the DSR as “a ploy to sell seeder machines and to massively increase demand for herbicides”.
He said that agricultural policies are often devised to benefit the industry at the cost of farmers and farm workers. “Whether it is ground water depletion or chemical toxicity or loss of soil nutrients or crop waste burning, almost all the problems we associate with agriculture in Punjab today are the result of some policy in the past that was imposed on farmers. Every single time, it was done in the name of productivity and so on, but was actually meant to serve industry – the makers of tractors, fertilisers, pesticides etc – and the nexus surrounding them,” he said.
Also, more attention needs to be given to creating jobs for the poor, said Sewewala of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union.
Uncertain future for migrants
Gurri Sangar is not the only village in Sri Muktsar Sahib district which has extensively transitioned to DSR; nearby villages like Mallan, Assa Buttar, and Bhullar, all within a 10-kilometre radius, have also significantly shifted towards this method, according to the district agricultural department office.
In Mallan, a group of seasonal migrants from Bihar have been transplanting rice for the fourth consecutive day. Shivpujan Baitha and nine others, who belong to the Dalit community of Baithas (Dhobi), have travelled nearly 1,500 km from Sitamarhi district to work in the fields of Punjab. This is their eleventh year in Mallan village, working for the same landowner, Gursewak Singh.
Farm owner Gursewak who aims to switch to DSR from next year poses for picture near a farm.
Sanskriti Talwar/The Migration Story
Gursewak too has used the DSR method on nine acres out of the 36 acres of farmland he owns. In fact, he was planning to directly seed rice on all his land this year, when he received a call from the workers. “I gave away nearly Rs 100,000 over a phone conversation,” he said with a laugh, referring to the potential savings he forfeited by employing Shivpujan’s group for transplantation this year, at Rs 3,500 per acre.
Standing behind him, Shivpujan listened carefully, his brow furrowed with concern as livelihoods on farms now appear dependent on the generosity of individual farmers.
Meanwhile, Gursewak has made it clear to the workers that he cannot afford such generosity always, and has informed them of his decision to use DSR on all his land from next year onwards. He acknowledged that workers like Shivpujan’s group will eventually lose out on transplantation work in Punjab. “They might consider migrating to other big cities such as Mumbai for work opportunities,” he said. “Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the government to create jobs for them,” Gursewak added.
Meanwhile, Gora Singh is increasingly concerned about the growing uncertainties around transplantation work. “While we managed to find work in Bathinda this year, we’re worried that it will eventually dry up there too, just as it has in our village. We are afraid we would be left without any work at all.”
Sanskriti Talwar is an independent journalist based in New Delhi. She reports on human rights, gender, sustainability and rural issues from the northern regions of India. She is a mentee of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Just Transition reporting programme.
Edited by Sajai Jose
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