Benefits of the Micro Irrigation Fund
- Higher Yields: Compared to conventional flood irrigation, the yields are higher. Micro-irrigation is thought to increase productivity by anywhere between 20 and 90% for certain crops. Crop yields rise by up to 45% for wheat, 20% for gram, and 40% for soybean.
- Reduced Water Loss: Additionally, there is less water loss from evaporation, runoff, and deep percolation. There is also less water lost during the conveyance process.
- Energy Effective: Micro-irrigation uses less water, which lowers the amount of energy (electricity) needed to lift water out of irrigation wells.
- Reducing the Amount of Fertilizer Used: Through foliage spray, an effective drip irrigation system lowers fertilizer use.
- Saving Water: In comparison to the traditional surface method of irrigation, where water use efficiency is only about 35–40%, micro-irrigation (MI) has been shown to be an effective way for water conservation and boosting water use efficiency.
- Enhanced Irrigation Effectiveness: The efficiency of drip irrigation systems that are well-designed and maintained is thought to be around 90%. Farmers who use pumping systems to irrigate their crops should make sure that the pump and pipe size are appropriate for their needs in order to prevent leaks from occurring due to excessive water and energy use.
- Reduced Weed and Disease: As it keeps damp regions to a minimum, it aids in preventing weed development. The incidence of the disease is also decreased under these circumstances.
- Savings on Costs: Irrigation expenses have significantly decreased, and fertilizer and electrical expenditures have decreased as well.
- Precision agriculture: Growers will be able to apply water and agro-chemicals more precisely and site-specifically to match soil and plant status as provided by wireless sensor networks thanks to developing computerized GPS-based precision irrigation technology for self-propelled sprinklers and micro-irrigation systems.
Micro Irrigation Fund
India is an agricultural nation, and agriculture is the primary source of income for the vast majority of its citizens. A valuable resource for agriculture’s expansion, improvement, and general effectiveness is water. Micro-irrigation technology has been installed in the rain-fed areas to save water, reduce the use of fertilizers, labor costs, and other input costs, and improve the fertility of the soil in order to address the problem of water scarcity and utilize the available water resources in a more efficient manner. A plan on micro-irrigation was put up by the Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) to enhance the drip and sprinkler irrigation technique. It later became the National Mission on Micro-irrigation Scheme, which was a key part of the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), and was introduced in the 2010–2011 academic year. To attain the goal of “per drop more crop,” NABARD established the Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crores. The nodal ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, oversees the Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF). In order to encourage micro-irrigation across the nation, it seeks to offer loans to states at a favorable and cheaper rate of interest. Proper micro irrigation system implementation is crucial for increasing productivity. The dedicated micro-irrigation fund would assist in adding to the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) program’s efforts to micro-irrigate roughly 10 lakh hectares. The fund will make it easier for States to raise money for their initiatives, such as additional (top-up) subsidies for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) program, in order to meet the program’s annual target of roughly 2 million hectares per year for the remainder of the 14th Finance Commission’s term.
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