Savoring Sweet taste of success

Drip irrigation is catching up among farmers because of its all-encompassing advantages including rationalizing usage of water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters.

In addition to these benefits, it also facilitates reduction in investment and increase in yield and profits. Two farmers have reaped a basket of benefits by converting to drip irrigation from conventional irrigation. Thirmaleshamma and Venkatram Reddy of Amarachinta Village, Atmakur mandal in Mahabubnagar, who cultivate sugarcane on 2.44 hectares increased their sugarcane yield from 100 tonnes to 150 tonnes per hectare by shifting from conventional irrigation to drip irrigation.

It also enabled them to augment their net income by Rs. 2,01,000 from the earlier Rs. 1,03,000 to Rs.3,04,000 per hectare and fetched them a price of Rs.250 a quintal from the earlier Rs. 230 per quintal. The farmers converted to drip irrigation after receiving a subsidy of Rs. 1,44,438 in 2013-14. With this changeover, the farmers not only got higher revenues, but it also enabled them to decrease their per hectare investment from Rs. 1,32,000 to Rs.86,000.