NRI farmers earn profits with best water mgmt practices in US

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Sagu Neeti Viniyogadarula Sangala Samakhya (APSNVSS) president Alla Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao said the water management system adopted by the farmers in mk is very beneficial to the farmers and farmers of Andhra Pradesh can adopt these practices for producing more output using less water. He said farmers are forming associations and cultivating many acres of land by preserving water and adopting the best management practices.

He visited California in the US and inspected irrigation system adopted by Krishna district NRIs, who settled in USA. Tottempudi Nageswara Rao, a farmer of Challapalli village of Krishna district, is cultivating lands in Mareda, Merced and Cagon counties in California.

Gopala Krishna Rao in a press release on Monday said the water management practices are very efficient in US and water wastage is minimised by the farmers there. He said farmers are storing water supplied by the government and later using it for cultivation with 220-horsepower high-speed motors. He said the farmers are supplying water to 300 acres at a time by using Jet engines and using pipelines. Gopala Krishna Rao said necessary underground water is drawn from 600 feet depth besides cultivating them by drip irrigation, sprinklers, and jet system. He said farmers are investing 4,000 dollars and earning 6,000 dollars per acre by cultivating almonds and other dry fruits. Farmers get an output of one-and-a-half tonnes per acre. He informed that 60 tonnes of tomatoes are produced per acre in four months and farmers are earning a profit of 2,000 dollars per acre in four months.

The APSNVSS president said efficient water management practices can be adopted in Andhra Pradesh for the crops of oil palm, mango, coconut and other horticulture crops to check water wastage. He requested Krishna district NRI farmer Tottempudi Nageswara Rao to give suggestions to Andhra Pradesh farmers online. He said TDP national president and former CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu has encouraged drip irrigation and other better water management practices.