Stressing that distribution of water resources in India is uneven, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said 10 per cent increase in level of efficiency in irrigation projects and a modest investment can bring in additional 14 million hectares under irrigation.
Addressing the Plenary Session of 9th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference at Berlin, he said distribution of water resources across the vast expanse of the country is uneven, therefore, as incomes rise the need for water also rises.
He informed the gathering that most of the irrigation projects are operating at levels below the achievable efficiency of more than 50 per cent. There is enormous scope to improve the productivity and efficiency of irrigation systems which can be achieved both by technological as well as social interventions.
"It is estimated that with 10 per cent increase in the present level of efficiency in irrigation projects, an additional 14 million hectare area can be irrigated from the existing irrigation capacities which would involve a very modest investment compared to what is required for creating equivalent potential through new schemes," an official statement quoted Singh as saying.
Therefore, there is need to adopt an integrated approach with emphasis on greater conservation and enhanced water use efficiency, the minister added.
Singh said that water is certainly the most critical resource for agriculture, gaining primacy even over other important inputs like soil.
The competing use of water for agriculture and non-agricultural purposes, inefficient irrigation practices, injudicious use of pesticides, poor conservation infrastructure and lack of governance have lead to increasing water scarcity and pollution worldwide, he added.
The minister further said that there are several technologies developed by Indian institutions that enable production of 'more crop per drop'.
Adoption of Resource Conserving Technologies (RCTs) lead to an improvement in productivity compared to traditional hand transplanting at different locations.
"The prevailing farming situation in India calls for an integrated effort to address the emerging issues/problems," he said.
However, these integrated farming systems are required to be location specific and designed in such a manner that they lead to substantial improvement in energy efficiencies at the farm and help in maximum exploitation of synergies through adoption of close cycles.
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