Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
very spectacular in Maharashtra state since 1987. This is due to the encouragement
provided by the Government and manufacturers. The farmers are also forced to adopt
since water has become scarce and expensive commodity in many districts. In Kerala,
the coconut and other plantation crops needed water during the dry period of January
to May and the farmers are installing micro irrigation to manage the shortage of water.
It is picking up very well in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Rajasthan. The farmers are now convinced that this system helps them to get more
yield, with less inputs apart from saving of water.
The constraints experienced in bringing large area under this method are: High ini-
tial cost, clogging of drippers and cracking of pipes, lack of adequate technical inputs,
damages due to rats and rodents, high cost of spare parts and components, and lack
of advice and technical help to the farmers by the extension offi cers. To exploit the
full potential of this system, the constraints must be overcome by appropriate policy
instruments, fi nancial supports and technical guidance. This calls for an integrated ap-
proach and endeavor on the part of the central and state governments, implementing
agencies, manufacturing companies and the farmers. The technology is to be perfected
and hence more fi eld oriented research must be taken up by the universities to reduce
the cost and constraints. Training should be imparted to the offi cials and farmers to
learn about the system and its maintenance. Seminars and workshops can be organized
at the block and district levels to popularize the system to understand the problems and
socioeconomic factors. The main policy should be to encourage and to motivate all
categories of farmers, since the critical issue is water saving and augment productiv-
ity. The state governments can prepare time bound action plan for the coming years to
bring more area under drip irrigation.
3.5 ECONOMICS OF MICRO IRRIGATION
The installation cost of drip irrigation varies from Rs. 20,000 to 25,000 per hectare for
wide spaced crops like coconut, mango, etc. and from Rs. 70,000 to 80,000 per hectare
for closely spaced crops like sugarcane, cotton, vegetables, etc. The cost depends upon
the crop, row spacing, crop water needs, distance from water source, etc. The econom-
ics of micro irrigation has been calculated, and payback period has been worked out
after interviewing more than 50 farmers for different crops. It was observed that the
payback period is about one year for most of the crops and the benefit cost ratio varies
from 2 to 5.
3.6 NEED FOR AFFORDABLE DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM
The drip system is capital intensive and has sophisticated technology. Therefore, it
is beyond the reach of the majority of farmers in India. Therefore, if the drip system
is made affordable and within the reach of small and marginal farmers (about 80%)
in India, it will go a long way in increasing productivity and income of the farmers
and conserve the water in the country. Further, this will also improve the capability
of the farmers to manage and manipulate the soil, water and crop to obtain maximum
yields, since it is suitable for all topographical and agroclimatic conditions, and dif-
ferent crops and soils.
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