India’s rice fields are emerging as a major focus in the global fight against methane emissions, but the data comes with an important caveat: estimates vary considerably depending on how emissions are measured.
A 2025 study using a satellite-based global rice inventory estimated India’s rice-related methane emissions at 6.5 ± 1.0 million tonnes in 2022, making it the world’s second-largest emitter after China.
Earlier India-specific research estimated emissions at 4.8 million tonnes in 2017. The figures are not directly comparable, but together they highlight the scale of the challenge and the need for better measurement and lower-emission farming.
Rice Emissions Vary By Estimates
The 2025 Earth’s Future study, based on the Global Rice Paddy Inventory, estimated China’s rice methane emissions at 8.2 ± 1.0 million tonnes in 2022, followed by India at 6.5 ± 1.0 million tonnes. Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand followed, with these five countries collectively accounting for 78% of global rice methane emissions.
The study’s estimate for India is notably higher than figures reported by some existing inventories. It compared its estimate with 3.4 million tonnes reported in India’s UNFCCC inventory and 4.1 million tonnes estimated by EDGARv8. The researchers attributed differences partly to variations in rice-area mapping and emission factors, underscoring the uncertainty involved in calculating methane emissions from millions of individual fields.
This makes the debate about India’s rice emissions more complicated than a single headline number. The most recent satellite-based estimate suggests a substantial emissions footprint, but it should not be treated as a direct continuation of earlier estimates produced using different methodologies.
Why Flooded Fields Matter
Rice cultivation is closely linked to methane because of how the crop is traditionally grown. In continuously flooded fields, oxygen levels in the soil decline. Microorganisms then break down organic material under anaerobic conditions, producing methane that can eventually escape into the atmosphere.
An India-focused study published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles estimated that methane emissions from Indian rice cultivation increased from 3.7 million tonnes in 1966 to 4.8 million tonnes in 2017. The analysis drew on 726 published measurements and examined how factors including water regimes, manure and fertiliser use affected emissions.
The study also highlighted changes in rice cultivation and management over time. However, its 2017 estimate should not be directly compared with the 2022 figure from the Global Rice Paddy Inventory to calculate a five-year increase. The two studies use different datasets, emission factors and methodologies.
That distinction matters for policymakers because better measurement can change the apparent size of the problem without necessarily indicating that emissions have risen by the same magnitude.
Global Rice Emissions Rise
The wider global trend is nevertheless significant. A 2026 study published in Nature Food found that net greenhouse gas emissions from global rice paddies approximately doubled between the 1961–1980 and 2001–2020 periods.
For the 2010s, the researchers estimated global rice-paddy emissions at 1,090 ± 350 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent annually. Soil methane emissions alone increased by 44% between the two periods.
The study identified the expansion of rice-growing areas as the largest contributor to the increase in methane emissions, followed by more intensive incorporation of crop residues.
The findings point to a structural challenge for food systems: rising demand for rice and changes in cultivation practices can increase emissions even as farmers improve productivity.
For India, the implication is not simply to produce less rice. Rice remains critical to food security, rural livelihoods and agricultural trade. The more relevant question is whether production can become less emissions-intensive.
Cleaner Farming Offers Opportunity
The research points to several possible intervention areas, particularly water management, residue handling, tillage and input efficiency. The 2026 Nature Food study estimated that optimising irrigation and tillage while reducing excessive residue and nitrogen inputs could lower future net greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies by around 10% without reducing yields.
This creates potential opportunities for agricultural technology and input companies developing tools for precision irrigation, soil monitoring and more efficient fertiliser use. It could also increase interest in climate-smart agriculture programmes and methane-reduction initiatives that can demonstrate measurable reductions at farm level.
But the economics of adoption will be critical. India’s rice-growing regions differ significantly in climate, irrigation access and farming practices. A water-management technique that works in one region may not deliver the same results elsewhere. Farmers will need solutions that are affordable, practical and compatible with local production systems.
India Needs Better Methane Data
The first priority for India may therefore be improving the consistency of its emissions accounting. The gap between the 6.5 Tg estimate from the 2025 Global Rice Paddy Inventory, the 4.8 Tg estimate for 2017 from India-specific research, and other official or global inventories demonstrates how much methodology can influence the final number.
Better satellite mapping, field measurements and region-specific emission factors could help narrow these differences. That would give policymakers a stronger basis for deciding where mitigation efforts can deliver the greatest impact.
The evidence already points to a clear opportunity. Rice production does not have to be treated as a choice between food security and climate action. Better water management and more efficient farming practices could help reduce methane emissions while maintaining yields.
For India, the challenge now is to move beyond measuring the problem. If the country can combine more accurate emissions data with practical incentives for farmers to adopt lower-emission methods, it could reduce the climate footprint of one of its most important crops without compromising the food systems that depend on it.
Also Read: NEET Paper Leak Row: Bihar Bandh Sparks Statewide Protests, Tej Pratap Yadav Held
