Low adoption of drip irrigation in Nandyal alarms scientists

Varikuntla Nandyal: An extensive field survey conducted by a team of agricultural scientists from Jain Irrigation across nearly 60 villages in Nandyal district has revealed that only 10 to 20 per cent of farmers are currently using drip irrigation systems.

The survey, carried out between January 20 and 29, focused on understanding crop patterns and assessing the level of awareness among farmers regarding modern irrigation practices aimed at improving productivity and conserving water.

The scientists observed that a majority of farmers continue to rely heavily on rainfall and traditional flood irrigation methods. Even cultivators with access to borewells were found to be wasting substantial quantities of water due to inadequate knowledge of efficient irrigation techniques.

Despite evidence that crops can be successfully cultivated using as little as 10 per cent of water through drip irrigation, conventional methods remain dominant, leading to water wastage and reduced yields.

Expressing concern over the situation, the survey team noted that several farmers are unaware of the government subsidy scheme that offers drip irrigation equipment with subsidies of up to 90 per cent.

This lack of awareness is resulting in farmers missing out on opportunities to reduce cultivation costs and enhance farm income.

The scientists stressed that increased awareness and proper technical guidance could play a crucial role in promoting sustainable agriculture in the district.

Speaking to The Hans India, Jain Irrigation Senior Agricultural Scientist Hanumantha Reddy, who led the survey, said that farmer awareness programmes would soon be organised at the Jain industrial unit in Tanguturu to educate cultivators on modern irrigation practices.

During the survey, Jain Irrigation Vice President and senior scientist Dr Shankar Mane interacted with progressive farmers, including woman farmer Prameela Reddy of Muchumarri village in Panyam mandal, who is cultivating various horticulture crops over nearly 10 acres using drip irrigation.

The team also visited farmers Nagalingam and Govindu from Jalakanuru and Lakshmapuram villages, who are successfully growing chilli and sugarcane with drip systems.

Junior scientists Mohammed Rafi, Sekhara Rao, Raghavendra Rao, Sai Chaitanya, Shapeer and others participated in the awareness programme.