Punjab tries drip system to water its paddy fields

As part of a pilot project,the system is being laid on 10 acres of land in Patiala this ongoing paddy season,said Director,Punjab Agricultural department,Dr Balvinder Singh Sandhu. The land belongs to the Punjab Agriculture Department

“We have had a few demonstration plots in Nawanshahr district,but this is for the first time that an official project of drip irrigation is being launched,” said chief conservator,Punjab land and water conservation Department,Anil Kumar Sondhi,adding that the results were encouraging in Nawanshahr.

Compared to the traditional methods of irrigation,experts said the drip system uses up to 50 to 60 per cent less water.

According to agricultural department experts,a paddy field of one hectare (2.5 acres) needs nearly 6.52 lakh litres of water in the traditional method. Under the drip irrigation system,nearly 4.5 lakhs litres of water can be saved in the same field.

Agriculture Development Officer,Patiala,Dr A S Mann,one of the pioneers of the drip irrigation system,had sown a small paddy plot in Patiala last year. He said the experiment was quite successful.

Under the drip system,pipes are laid in the entire field with small punctures close to the roots of the plant. When the system is switched on,it irrigates a a hectare of land in two hours’ time. The traditional method,on the other hand,takes six to seven hours to flood the field.

COSTWISE

The cost involved to set up a drip irrigation system on a hectare of land is Rs 1.35 lakh. Of this,the Centre and state governments provide 75 per cent subsidy — in a 2:1 ratio. Once installed,the drip system will work nearly for three to five years and is even useful for crops sown after paddy through the year. “Costwise,the system is quite feasible for farmers who have to bear just 25 per cent of the total cost. At the same time,it saves a lot of water and gives a better quality of yield,said Dr Balwinder Singh Sidhu,Director,Punjab Agriculture Department.

“Farmers get 15 to 30 per cent increase in yield with the drip irrigation system as compared to the traditional system,” said state in-charge of Jain irrigation Company,which has installed the system at a farm in Patiala.

Many states have announced subsidies for farmers for promoting drip irrigation. Andhra Pradesh gives 90% ,Tamil Nadu 65% and Gujarat 50% subsidy for the promotion of the system.