Basmati rice: The groundwater level in India is sinking as a result of the cultivation

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The procedure is arduous, but it has to be.

In summer, the young basmati rice tufts are plucked from the ground in order to transplant them.

A centuries-old tradition.

Sat Narayan has been growing Basmati all his life.

But now he worries about his future.

Sat Narayan, rice farmer

“Many people here in the region have given up farming.

You stopped growing rice or anything else.

They sold their land and left the region. "

The Indian state of Haryana is one of the few places in the world where the Basmati rice variety is cultivated.

Because the particularly aromatic grain only grows under the special climatic conditions in the Himalayas.

But intensive cultivation is becoming more and more of a problem here.

Like most rice varieties, Basmati requires huge amounts of water: around 3,000 liters for every kilogram.

The grain has to stand in the wet until shortly before harvest.

The young plants are planted in flooded fields.

The water is drawn from the ground with the help of electric pumps.

As a result, the groundwater level has continued to fall over the past few years.

Sat Narayan, rice farmer

»The water table in our district used to be 6 meters.

Now he has fallen to 36 meters.

Because of the falling water table, agriculture is no longer profitable. "

The farmers therefore have to fetch the precious liquid deeper and deeper in order to flood their fields.

However, the electric pumps cost a lot of money.

Money that Sat Narayan doesn't actually have.

Sat Narayan, rice farmer

“A new pump costs at least 700,000 rupees today, or $ 10,000.

We are facing great difficulties in agriculture. "

Around 6.5 million tons of basmati rice are produced every year in India - here in Haryana and in the state of Punjab.

More than two thirds are exported abroad - and exports have more than doubled since 2010.

Scientists warn of far-reaching consequences for nature if the groundwater sinks even further.

The roots of trees and fruits could lose their access to water, resulting in forest dieback and drought damage.

Durjoy Chakraborty, scientist and former employee of the Central Groundwater Authority

“The situation is really grim and a cause for concern.

We have observed a drop in groundwater of more than a meter per year over the past 20 to 30 years.

This is really worrying.

What we export to different countries is not just basmati rice, but also the water that goes into production. "

The Indian government has now also recognized the problem.

She now wants to get the farmers to grow crops that can get by with less water.

Here in Haryana, farmers receive a one-off $ 100 per hectare from the government if they convert their production to alternative crops.

But Sat Narayan does not believe that he can work his fields in any other way.

Sat Narayan, rice farmer

“We have to plant rice because nothing else grows here.

The government tells us to grow corn, legumes, or other crops, but none of them grow well here.

Only rice grows here. "

The scientist Chakraborty, however, believes it is entirely possible to grow other types of grain in the region.

But farmers like Sat Narayan have cultivated Basmati all their lives.

And the demand for the exclusive grain is unbroken worldwide.

Last year around 13,000 tons of basmati rice worth around 13 million euros from India went to Germany alone.

An increase of 13 percent compared to the previous year.

It is not the small farmers who benefit from the booming world market.

Sat Narayan, rice farmer

“I have two children.

One runs a small shop, the other works in a small factory.

We don't earn anything in agriculture.

The big and rich traders buy rice cheaply from us and make huge profits by exporting it abroad.

We don't get anything.

We don't even earn enough to plant the next harvest. "

For the large exporters, on the other hand, trading in the coveted grain is a lucrative business.

But the downsides of Basmati cultivation have now also penetrated them.

Chaman Lal Setia, Chairman Chaman Lal Setia Exports Ltd.

“Of course the falling water table is a problem.

We need cultivation techniques that use less water.

And more systems to restore the groundwater. "

Durjoy Chakraborty wants to start with consumers abroad to raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by Basmati production.

Durjoy Chakraborty, water expert

“If we see the entire globe as a unit, then that really concerns every country.

So if Germany or any other country imports basmati rice from India - and thus also the water - then we need mechanisms to make the ecological footprint in terms of water visible.

To show how much water is actually being used and to use it to develop a kind of cash buffer or fund to restore the water table in the areas where it has sunk due to Basmati production. "

More environmentally friendly techniques for irrigating fields, such as special sprinkler systems, already exist. They could help prevent the water table from falling any further. For the rice farmers in Haryana, one thing is clear: Basmati cultivation cannot go on like this for much longer.