Opportunities and challenges for the development of Drip-Irrigation technology in India
Date: 22-2-2024Drip Irrigation Technology
Drip Irrigation is the just a 62 years old technology aiming at keeping the soil around root zone area at field capacity level 24x7. Application of water directly to the root zone of the plant drop by drop as per the daily water requirement of the plant is called drip Irrigation.
Advantages of Drip Irrigation
It has many advantages as mentioned below
- Water saving of 50 to 60% over flood Irrigation
- Increased Crop yield with improved crop quality
- Increased crop & soil health
- Saving in Power & labour cost
- Community Irrigation, crop diversification & protected cultivation is possible
Opportunities
Being water stress country saving of every drop of water will add on to the development of more industries in India. It can bring the second green revolution in India.
Along with the above mentioned advantages & different government initiatives to promote this technology, the rate of adaption of this technology in India is very less. From 2005 to to 2020, about 20% of the irrigated area comes under micro Irrigation (Source: Ministry of Food & Agriculture, India). Hence huge area is still untapped for the adoption of this system in India.
There are many challenges of promoting this system in India as mentioned below.
Challenges
The major challenges includes
- High Initial cost: which is constraining the advancement of the scheme
- Finance: The banking sector needs to be more aggressive for funding of the micro-irrigation systems which will help in penetration of the scheme to the great extent. Financial institutions need to be more flexible for offering credit facilities for MI technologies.
- Lack of awareness: Many farmers do not know about the use, benefits & implementation of micro irrigation systems. The main reason for the adoption of the drip system is labour problem, & power issues. Awareness and training programs are essential for widespread adoption.
- Technical knowhow: Basically it is a system & it needs proper design, Installation, operation & maintenance which required technical expertise. The lack of skilled labor and knowledge among farmers can hinder the successful implementation of this technology.
- Power Supply FOR Agriculture: In maximum areas in India, the electricity availability for agriculture in hot summer is 8 hours out of 24 hours. This also increase the cost of micro-irrigation system. Availability of reliable and continuous power is crucial for the success of MI technologies.
- Infrastructure Challenge: In some cases, the existing infrastructure like commonly shared water sources, distribution networks, and storage facilities may not support the implementation of MI systems.
- Minimum adoption on Surface Water: In India about 37% of the total irrigated area is on surface water like canals & dams. The adaption of present drip Irrigation at present is mostly on the ground water resources like Well & Bores. There is very minimal adoption (less than 1% till 2018) of the system on the surface Irrigation like dams & Canals. Hence more & more community irrigation projects are needed to be planned in the coming days. (Source: Ministry of Food & Agriculture, India)
- Maintenance & Repair: Ensuring the regular maintenance and prompt repair of MI systems is very important for their max life & effectiveness. However, farmers may face difficulties in accessing timely and affordable maintenance services. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach involving government support, educational initiatives, financial mechanisms, and the active involvement of the agricultural community.
- Availability of Subsidy: State wise varying subsidy patterns are there. Those states who have adapted project business model have tremendously increased the area under drip Irrigation. In many states the delaying of subsidy, non-availability of subsidy when needed by the farmer are the constraints for the fast development of this technology in India.
Sandeep Deshpande
GM- Marketing