![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/back-to-the-future-for-indias-rice-farmers/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/130800198_45.jpg&description=Image source, Varsha Shwarma Image caption, Varsha Shwarma has switched back to farming a traditional variety of rice Varsha Sharma has been through some turbulent years on her small farm in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. For more than a century her family have been rice farmers, but erratic rainfall and water being diverted for industry have made cultivating rice more difficult. Seven years ago she switched to a hybrid rice variety and to growing apples, but that just caused fresh problems. The hybrid rice variety promised increased production, but needed a lot of additives, which she says damaged the soil. "We destroyed our soils by adding chemicals and fertilizers," she says. So in 2018 she switched again, this time experimenting with red rice, a variety which has a long history in Himachal Pradesh, but has dwindled as farmers have switched to modern varieties. Red rice has attractive qualities. It is hardy and grows well without fertiliser and other chemicals. Research also shows it has nutritional benefits over white rice . But perhaps for farmers the biggest attraction is that it sells well. "Red rice fetches a good price, ranging between $3 and $4 per kilo in the retail market, as it completely organic. This has helped many farmers like me," says Ms Sharma. The government of Himachal Pradesh wants to expand the production of red rice, increasing its area under cultivation to 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres). Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Cultivation of red rice had dwindled in India, but is now being revived Red rice is not the only traditional variety being promoted. In West Bengal, the largest rice producing state in India, almost half of its arable land is under rice cultivation. It is home to more than 5,000 varieties of rice, but the majority are no longer grown. "They [farmers] are only thinking about increased production, hence are switching to hybrid varieties," says Anjan Kumar Sinha, the founder of the Socio-E){kind=link}
Varsha Sharma has been through some turbulent years on her small farm in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India.
For more than a century her family have been rice farmers, but erratic rainfall and water being diverted for industry have made cultivating rice more difficult.
Seven years ago she switched to a hybrid rice variety and to growing apples, but that just caused fresh problems.
The hybrid rice variety promised increased production, but needed a lot of additives, which she says damaged the soil.
“We destroyed our soils by adding chemicals and fertilizers,” she says.