ગુજરાતી
English
Gandhinagar, 17 June 2021
When monsoon fails, total loss of fertiliser, labour, land rent, medicine, labour, tractor rent to 52 farmers in Gujarat was Rs 17,000 crore in 2016 and now it is Rs 20,000 crore in 2021. Thus the cost per person is 38 to 40 thousand. Drought costs the government almost the same. Thus, when there is a drought, Gujarat suffers a loss of Rs 80,000 per farmer.
In Gujarat, 9 lakh farmers irrigate 2.5 million hectares by drip, sprinkler system. Every year an area of 2 lakh hectares is added to this. Now the same area is getting dry due to failure of irrigation equipment.
Laying of pipeline from each canal to the field will increase the irrigation capacity of existing dams by 22 per cent, thereby preventing wastage of water. The government claims that 18 lakh Narmada and 12 lakh hectares of 200 dams together irrigate 30 lakh hectares. But in reality only one million hectares are irrigated in a season. It can be a good increase.
Cement pipe scheme is required in 96 lakh hectares of cultivable land in Gujarat. So 20 to 25 percent water can be saved.
If arrangements for drip irrigation are made, then the irrigated area which is currently 30 lakh hectares can be increased to 50 lakh hectares.
The agricultural production of Gujarat in 2010-2011 was 94 thousand crores. The agriculture department claimed that drip irrigation has increased by Rs 1.11 lakh crore in a year. If drip irrigation is made mandatory in canals and abyssal wells, the production can double to Rs 2 lakh crore. Up to 60 lakh irrigation can be done in 30 lakh hectares.
