Agriculture Dept to organise100 drip irrigation demos on maize crop

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 17

With groundwater table depleting by 37-cm annually and all ten blocks of the city have been declared overexploited, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Department is set to initiate a campaign for creating an awareness among the farmers about drip irrigation by organising 100 drip irrigation demonstrations on maize crop in the district.

Under the project, the department has selected 10 farmers each from 10 blocks of the districts on whose one-acre land, drip irrigation demonstration shall be organised. As many as 1,350 demonstrations will be conducted in the state.

Divulging the details, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Kulwant Singh, who is officiating as Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner said: “The state govt is committed to protect the groundwater from further depletion and with the promotion of drip irrigation on maize crop can save the groundwater up to 75 per cent.”

He said: “ Rs 1.35 lakh is the cost for laying the demonstration on one-acre and the farmers shall contribute only Rs 10,000 and the rest of the amount shall be borne by the state government. The entire drip irrigation system become the property of the farmers.”

Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Dr Nazar Singh said: “The department has been creating awareness among the farmers regarding the drip irrigation system and 100 farmers have already selected who have sown the maize crop.”

He also stated that the system shall not only save the groundwater as the farmers usually do flood irrigation which results in wastage of water, adding that the drip irrigation system can also be used to sprinkle the fertilizers in the fields hence will save their money.

“The department has also been providing quality maize seeds to the farmers on subsidy and the department is set to increase the area under maize cultivation to 10,000 hectares from 5,000 hectares this season in Jalandhar,” added Dr Singh.

The CAO informed that maize could be the best alternative for water consuming paddy crop to save the depleting groundwater.

He said: “ There is a need for 3,700-liter water for one-kg paddy whereas, in the case of one-kg maize, 1,222 liter water is needed which is much lower than the paddy.”

He appealed the farmers who sow other crops to adopt the irrigation system.