Punjab Kinnow farmers face trouble over tube well connections

Punjab is encouraging farmers to diversify from wheat and paddy in view of depleting water table

Punjab Farmers are in a trouble since they are not getting new tube well connections for drip irrigation by the Punjab State Power Corporation. Farmers are planning to diversify into kinnow crop. However, the plantation season has been started.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed to the state government to maintain a status quo on issuing 70,000 new tube well connections in view of the depleting water table in Punjab.

The state offers free electricity to farmers. In absence of electricity connection, some of the Kinnow farmers are running their pumpsets on generators while the others are still undecided on whether to diversify or not. Farmers said this would increase the input cost and likely to discourage the farmers who are keen to diversify into Kinnow.

According to data, the state is encouraging farmers to diversify from wheat and paddy in view of depleting water table. Kinnow farming has proved a major attraction for farmers in Punjab. In 2013-14, the total area under Kinnow was 43,851 hectares and the total production was 988,633 metric tonnes. According to statistical abstract of the state, every year around 1,000-1,600 hectares are added under Kinnow . Speaking to Business Standard, Gurvinder Singh, a farmer from Bathinda said, "We were planning to diversify but in view of the ongoing problem, we are reconsidering our decision. We can't depend on irrigation from canal since the yield is much higher on drip irrigation."

Manpreet Singh of Talwandi Sabo said, "Running drip irrigation on commercial connection or generators increase the input cost," he said.

Making the project unviable since Kinnow starts bearing fruit in fifth year."

After plantation of sapling, in the first three years, farmers harvest wheat while the fourth year is kept free and finally by fifth year, the trees start bearing fruits. The major Kinnow areas in the state are Hoshirapur, Abohar, Bhatinda, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Firozpur.

The windfall returns from kinnow has motivated many farmers, who are increasingly diversifying into horticulture from wheat and Paddy cycle. It is also being transported to all over India and also for exports.

NGT direction came on an application filed by non-government organisation (NGO) Safal Bharat Guru Parampra, seeking a ban on issuing new tube well connections because of falling groundwater. P K Rana, chairman, NGO patron, said the water level in the state has decreased to a great extent where in some of the areas it has gone down to 700 feets. Around 138 blocks in the state has been declared dark zones by the central ground authority.