Assured paddy prices reshape farms

Chhattisgarh’s agriculture has moved more towards paddy cultivation, while the state’s government-certified organic farming area has declined sharply.
This shift is visible even as government-backed organic farming programmes expand.
Experts call Chhattisgarh’s paddy shift a policy-driven transition—where government incentives for conventional farming make organic alternatives increasingly nonviable and shape the state’s agricultural landscape.

Sukhdev Sahu, a farmer from Kurud block in Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh, is standing on the edge of his field. Around him, paddy cultivation stretches as far as the eye can see. “In the past, we used to grow a variety of crops here, including kodo, kutki, ragi, pulses, and oilseeds. Now, there is nothing but paddy,” Sahu says.

Now in his sixties, Sahu remembers a time when he practiced organic farming in the early 2000s. He used to make manure from cow dung on his farm and saved seeds for the next season. He then had 20 cattle. But things changed when paddy started getting better prices. Today, on his 11 acres of land, he grows only paddy. When asked for the reason, he answers, “It is because of the price of paddy. No matter the variety, the government buys it at ₹3,100 per quintal.”

This trend is not unique to Sahu. Recent data highlights a broader transformation in agricultural practices across the state.

Over the past five years, the certified area under organic cultivation in the state has shrunk sharply. The area under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) certification was around 23,209 hectares in 2020–21, but by 2024–25, it had fallen to just about 6,822 hectares. This represents a decline of nearly 70%. The area under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), another Indian government scheme launched in 2015-16 to promote sustainable, chemical-free organic farming, has increased from 25,000 ha to more than one lakh ha in the same time period.

Farmers weigh their paddy harvest at a procurement centre in Chhattisgarh. Farmers in the state once grew a variety of crops, including millets, pulses, and oilseeds. The diversity has largely been replaced by paddy as the government buys it at ₹3,100 per quintal. Image courtesy of CG Khabar.

Both figures represent different stages of organic farming. The PKVY scheme reflects the area that the government has brought under organic farming programmes. This includes farms that are still in the “conversion phase.” On the other hand, NPOP data includes only those farms that have completed the full certification process, including inspections, traceability, and compliance checks, explains Sanket Thakur, a former agricultural scientist (Horticulture) at JN Agricultural University, Jabalpur, and convener of Abhuday Krishi Sansthan, a Durg-based organisation working in the agriculture sector.

In summary, the adoption of organic farming is expanding in Chhattisgarh, though much of this growth involves farms still seeking official certification. Thakur notes that the decrease in NPOP-certified areas could mean that some farmers have let their certifications lapse, or that export-oriented organic activities have slowed.

At the national level, the certified organic area grew from about 2.65 million hectares in 2020–21 to nearly 5.39 million hectares in 2022–23. Since then, there has been a decline at the national level as well, to 3.96 million hectares in 2024–25. Though, the total area covered under the PKVY scheme has also increased from 10,99, 539 ha to 15,07,904 ha in the last five years.

However, experts raise the concern about the quality of PKVY scheme. Secretary of the Organic Farming Association of India, Prem Singh, terms the increase in acreage under the PKVY scheme as “fake”. “It is manipulated to show success,” he says. In his view, the NPOP-certified area is more genuine because it adheres to established protocols and verification processes.

When asked why the NPOP-certified area is declining in many states, he says the reasons are obvious. Organic farming requires intensive labour, while the government does not support it wholeheartedly. According to him, the government allocates huge amounts of money to chemical farming through fertiliser and pesticide subsidies while investing very little in organic farming.

Singh also highlights additional obstacles to organic farming. “Most organic farming depends on local weather patterns, which have gradually become uncertain. There is also a shortage of cattle, making organic compost difficult to prepare, and traditional seeds are no longer easily available,” he explains.

Against this national backdrop, Chhattisgarh’s decline in NPOP-certified areas stands out as particularly sharp, even compared to other affected states like Jharkhand, Goa, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

Labourers carry heavy sacks of paddy at a government procurement yard. Image courtesy of CG Khabar.

Assured returns drive farming choices

Digambar Prasad from Chakarbhata village, Bilaspur district, after much deliberation, practiced organic farming for three years from 2013 to 2015; however, during this period, his paddy yield was insufficient even to cover his production costs. At that time, he got only 12 quintal per acre, and now he gets a total of 21 quintal per acre. He says, “Organic farming represents the future, but paddy is the present reality. Today, cultivating any crop organically demands significantly more labour while offering uncertain financial returns.” He says that paddy cultivation is relatively predictable, and believes that farming simply cannot be sustained without the use of fertilisers and chemical pesticides.

This reflects a broader trend that accompanies increased paddy cultivation. Farmers are rapidly intensifying their use of chemical inputs to maximise yields. Usage of urea and other fertilisers has sharply increased in the state, rising from 374,000 tonnes in 2005–06 to 737,350 tonnes in 2019–20.

While fertilisers may help boost yields today, this reliance has longer-term effects. For instance, a 2026 policy brief by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), drawing on the latest Soil Health Card data, identified Chhattisgarh among states with particularly low levels of soil organic carbon (SOC) — a key indicator of soil health. It connected low SOC with excessive and imbalanced application of nitrogenous fertilisers.

Organisations such as the FAO have long maintained that organic and diversified farming practices not only conserve soil and water resources but also serve to bolster biodiversity.

The broader trend of increased paddy cultivation is the use of chemical inputs like urea to maximise yields, from 374,000 tonnes in 2005–06 to 737,350 tonnes in 2019–20. Chhattisgarh has been identified to have particularly low levels of soil organic carbon — a key indicator of soil health. Image courtesy of CG Khabar.

Policy driven transition

Policy expert Devinder Sharma describes this as a “policy-driven transition.” On the surface, the move to paddy appears voluntary, but is shaped decisively by government incentives. When a single crop enjoys strong support through pricing and procurement, other options — regardless of their environmental advantages — can become less viable.

Meanwhile, globally, agriculture contributes about 34% of greenhouse gas emissions. A large part of this comes from intensive farming practices, including paddy cultivation. This means that sooner or later, a shift towards organic farming will be necessary, Sharma adds.

Thakur from Abhuday Krishi Sansthan observes that while farmers often begin organic farming by following others, many abandon it in early years due to reduced yields during the transition. “Extensive research shows organic farming boosts soil carbon, nitrogen, and microorganisms, enhancing fertility and structure. However, the same research also confirms that initial yields may fall short of those achieved with conventional methods. It is at this intersection of practice and economics that many turn away from organic farming,” Thakur concludes.

Government statistics further reveal that despite various schemes and initiatives, tangible change on the ground has remained limited. From 2020–21 to 2024-25, Chhattisgarh received approximately ₹11.24 billion in funding for organic farming, yet this investment failed to achieve the level of impact originally anticipated.

Thakur explains that the core challenge goes beyond funding: a lack of a supportive ecosystem — local markets, processing, robust supply chains, and, crucially, assured procurement — prevents organic farming from thriving. Many farmers express a desire to go organic but cannot risk their livelihoods amid family obligations, debts, and the costs of children’s education. These practical realities leave little room for experimentation.

Natural farming also requires a shift in mindset. Thakur notes that, just as the government promoted modern farming during the Green Revolution, similar awareness and subsidies are needed today to support organic farming at scale.

This shift is evident when revisiting Sukhdev Sahu’s fields. The paddy crop appears robust, promising a good yield, and the government is ready to procure it — on the surface, it looks like a successful model. However, Sukhdev’s observation that the soil is not what it once was highlights a larger reality.

Banner image: Freshly harvested paddy grains being inspected. Image courtesy of CG Khabar.