The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sub-surface drip irrigation gains popularity

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Tuesday, Jan 18, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sub-surface drip irrigation gains popularity

S. Sundar

ADVANTAGE:The technology of sub-surface drip irrigation system for sugarcane being explained to top officials of sugar mills in Maharashtra at a farm in Keelakottai in Sivaganga district on Monday.

SIVAGANGA: Sub-surface drip irrigation system is gaining popularity among sugarcane farmers for its utility especially in rain-fed areas like Sivaganga district.

The lateral tubes laid 10 cm below the earth helps using harvesting machinery without damaging the drip irrigation pipes. It could be used for as many as six ratoons (six harvests without re-plantation).

Over 120 representatives of sugarmills from Maharashtra were brought for a field visit by the Jain Irrigation Systems to educate them on the new drip irrigation system on Monday.

Interacting with the chairpersons, managing directors and other top officials of the sugarmills, its vice-president P. Soman said that the yield had gone up by at least 10 tonnes in an acre in Sivaganga district.

Developed in Hawaii, Jain Irrigation systems made it suit Indian conditions, like small farms, usage of smaller machinery and economic conditions. The technology had been used to cover 4,500 hecatares in Tamil Nadu, 800 ha in Andhra Pradesh in the last five years.

Speaking on the advantages, Dr. Soman said that evaporation loss in this technology was 10 per cent to 20 per cent less than the conventional drip irrigation system. Besides, only one weeding is required. “The average yield in Tamil Nadu conditions which is 28 tonnes in an acre had gone up to 40 acres. The highest yield had been 80 tonnes.”

E. Sivaprakasam, a farmer in Koomachipatti, said he had increased cane cultivation from 10 acres to 27 acres in the last three years with the same source of water using this drip irrigation system. Additional yield of 10 tonnes in an acre was possible with the spacing between crops.

Along with sub-surface drip irrigation, Sakthi Sugars, has been promoting spacing between the plants that would enable harvest using machines. Mr. Sivaprakasam said 17 labourers worked for 50 days to cut the cane on 9 acres, two years back. Last year, the harvest machine did the job on 10 acre in two-and-a-half days. While the manual cutting cost Rs. 450 a tonne, the harvest machine cost only Rs. 290 a tonne.

Vice-President of Sakthi Sugars, L. Arumugam, said his mill had seven harvesting machines. He hoped to use the machine for at least 2 lakh tonnes out of the 4.5 tonnes of sugar. “We are giving an incentive of Rs. 5,000 an acre for farmers who are going for drip irrigation to sustain the cane area,” he said.

This is over and above 65 per cent subsidy given by the State Government for drip irrigation.

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