19 August 2006

Micro-irrigation





It was officially announced yesterday, August 18th that the Government plans to set up micro-irrigation systems in 630 hectares (one hectare = 2.5 acres) of agricultural lands in the Tiruvannamalai District.


The Government estimates that depending on crop patterns, the total cost of installing micro-irrigation systems will be somewhere between Rs.17,000-Rs.58,000 (US$370-$1,300) a hectare. 50% of that amount will be given to farmers as subsidy, with the rest being the responsibility of the farmer.

It is also planned to establish micro-irrigation demonstration fields at 20 places within the Tiruvannamalai District. These fields would be set up in lands belonging to self-help groups, cooperative bodies, NGOs, scientific organisations and pioneer farmers.

5 comments:

Divyakka said...

How wonderful that the government is making solid efforts to help the farmers!

Meenakshi Ammal said...

Yes, but expensive, even 50% comes to alot of money. Many of the farmers don't have cash - the land is ancestral - they didn't have to buy it. A European lady was looking around at Arunachala land recently and was SHOCKED at the prices. She said, 'But it's the same price here as at home!'

Divyakka said...

I also wondered about the 50% payment that the farmers had to pay, and thought in my mind that probably most would not have the funds and would not do it. But I kept my thoughts to myself. As for the European lady, it is hard to belive that prices there are similiar to her place! I know that for here in USA, even high high prices in India cannot compare to even the cheapest land here!!

Meenakshi Ammal said...

You would be quite shocked to hear some of the current prices. They are not actually meant for the ordinary person - they are meant for the land developers who plan on chopping up the land and sell it off as tiny little parcels.

One acre will be cut up into about 25-30 plots for middle class homes.

Divyakka said...

Yuck, I guess that is just the business world. Everything seems so unfair, so unnecessarily costly just to make the few filthy rich. A pity. But communism didn't work either, did it.