India's Green Revolution began with trials of Mexican dwarf wheat in 1963, seed imports of 250 tonnes in 1965 and 18,000 tonnes in 1966, and a record 16.5 mill…
Wartime prices, hoarding and failed distribution killed millions in Bengal. India resolved never to depend on others for food.
Norman Borlaug's semi-dwarf wheat was tested in India from 1963. Its stiff stems could carry heavy grain without falling over.
India imported 250 tonnes of seed for farm tests and set up the Food Corporation of India and support prices.
After two droughts India lived 'from ship to mouth' on US wheat, then imported 18,000 tonnes of dwarf wheat seed.
The 1968 crop hit 16.5 Mt against a previous record of 12.3 Mt. The phrase 'Green Revolution' was coined that year.
Water. About 70,000 private tube-wells were sunk in 1969-70 alone, and fertiliser use soared.
Rice gains came later, in the 1970s and 80s. Punjab locked into a rice-wheat rotation backed by procurement.
M. S. Swaminathan warned that gains would not last unless soil, water and biodiversity were protected.
A 2009 law delayed paddy transplanting to the monsoon, slowing the water-table fall but squeezing the harvest window.
ICAR released two genome-edited rice varieties in May 2025: one matures 20 days earlier, one tolerates drought and salt.
Punjab extracted 156% of its extractable groundwater in 2025, the highest of any state.
Counted fires dropped sharply, though NASA warns satellite counts can miss fires lit after overpasses.
A record 376.56 Mt of foodgrains, more than seven times 1950-51, with rice and wheat at all-time highs.
Direct-seeded rice, conservation farming, biofortified wheat and crop diversification: keep the yields, cut the water.
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