The State Government has given revised administrative sanction of Rs7.94 crore for construction of Rajpur Irrigation Diversion Scheme of Antagarh block of North Bastar (Kanker) district.
The completion of this project will ensure water supply for irrigation of nearly 200 hectares area in kharif season.
Notably, the State Horticulture Department has achieved 25 per cent target so far for the State sponsored irrigation scheme for promoting drip irrigation in Kanker district.
Notably, a target of irrigating 100 hectares of land using drip irrigation had been set in centrally sponsored scheme and 80 hectares under state sponsored scheme.
The Chhattisgarh State Agriculture Development Corporation has received Rs 9 lakh grant under centrally sponsored scheme in the district and Rs 48 lakhs for the State sponsored scheme.
A total of 102050 hectares of area in Chhattisgarh is covered under Micro Irrigation under National Mission on Micro Irrigation programme in the country.
Notably, Chhattisgarh is among 13 states which had been mentioned in the Economic Survey report 2015-16 as a success story on use of drip irrigation by farmers on their lands.
The results from an impact evaluation of National Mission on Micro Irrigation of the Union Ministry of Agriculture conducted in 64 districts of 13 states mainly – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – are revealing on the benefits of drip irrigation, according to the survey report.
There were substantial reductions in irrigation costs and savings on electricity and fertilisers .This is because water is efficiently supplied and hence pumps are used for a limited time. Moreover, water soluble fertilisers are supplied directly to the root of the plant and hence there is less wastage, it stated.
Yields of crops also went upto 45 per cent in wheat, 20 per cent in gram and 40 per cent in soybean, the report stated.
The resulting improvement in net farm incomes is substantial. Until now micro-irrigation techniques, owing to high fixed costs of adoption, have mostly been used for high value crops. However, recent research has shown its feasibility even in wheat and rice, the report stated.
The Chhattisgarh government had decided to follow the Gujarat model of 'Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation' practices in the State.
It is worth mentioning that many villages in Gujarat have adopted 100 per cent Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems to water crops. In June 2009, more than 93,000 farmers in Gujarat have adopted Drip Irrigation for their total 1.51 lakh hectare land.
Drip Irrigation system and inter-linking of 21 rivers of Gujarat for conservation of water has made it possible for record Sugarcane cultivation in that State.
The Gujarat Green Revolution Company ltd (GGRC) is aimed to promote Micro Irrigation System (MIS) to the farmers of Gujarat as an implementing agency on behalf of Government of Gujarat (GoG) and Government of India (GoI) to bring 2nd Green Revolution in consonance with the 'Agriculture policy of Gujarat Vision 2010' so as to save water and energy, besides multiple benefits to improve Agricultural productivity and farmer’s prosperity at large.
The Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation ltd (GAICl) and Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) adopts various programs and schemes for the Agriculture and Horticulture segment for investments and other processing subsidies in the Food Processing Sector. Agri implement service help is provided by the Gujarat government for open pipelines and purchase of Tractors, etc. Bio gas subsidies are offered with loan application, officials stated.
The Chhattisgarh State Seed and Agriculture Development Corporation in 2014 had also decided to distribute Drip and Sprinklers to the State's farmers under the Minor Irrigation Project, officials here stated.