Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part H (2025)

The present investigation, titled “An Economic Analysis of Varietal Diversification of Paddy in the Agro-Climatic Zone of Chhattisgarh Plains,” was conducted in Chhattisgarh Plains with Dhamtari, Raipur and Janjgir-Champa districts. Chhattisgarh comprises three agro-climatic zones: Chhattisgarh Plain, Bastar Plateau, and Northern Hills. The study focused on the Study area, where Dhamtari, Raipur, and Janjgir-Champa districts were purposively selected based on extensive paddy cultivation. From each district, two blocks were randomly chosen: Dhamtari and Kurud (Dhamtari), Arang and Abhanpur (Raipur), and Pamgarh and Nawagarh (Janjgir-Champa). A total of 386 farmers were purposively sampled and categorized by landholding size as marginal (0-1.0 ha), small (1.01-2.0 ha), medium (2.01-4.0 ha), and large (>4.0 ha). Primary data were collected through personal interviews using pre-tested questionnaires and structured schedules. Varietal diversification was quantified using Simpson’s Index of Diversity (SID). Certified paddy seed supply totalled 8.42 lakh quintals, with IGKV-developed varieties accounting for 10.04 percent (84,502 qtl) and externally developed varieties 89.96 percent (757,185 qtl). Swarna (MTU 7029) dominated, covering 181.49 ha (34.71 percent) and adopted by 147 farmers (38.08 percent), followed by Cottondora Sannalu (16.56 percent) and Vijetha (13.70 percent). Simpson’s Index of Diversity ranged from 0.77 to 0.84 across farm sizes, indicating high varietal diversification, with medium farmers achieving the highest index (0.84).