GOVT TO BRING 1,000 ACRES UNDER MICRO IRRIGATION
Monday, 10/06/2019
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CHANDIGARH: Aiming at sustainable water management, the Punjab government, on Sunday, announced it would promote micro irrigation of maize on 1,000 acres this season.
For 2019, the government has set a target of irrigating 1.5 lakh hectares. Of this, micro irrigation of maize crop in 1,000 acres will be undertaken. While 900 acres will be irrigated with a surface-based drip system, the remaining will have a sub-surface-based drip system, director Tandrust Punjab Mission KS Pannu said. Four micro irrigation companies will take up drip irrigation projects for maize in 10 acres each, he added.
Principal chief conservator of soil, Dharminder Kumar said drip irrigation will help conserve water and increase yield. The department is ready to launch it on a large scale.
Experts from Punjab Agricultural University said they had conducted sub-surface drip irrigation experiments during the maize-wheat-moong cycle and it should be promoted on a mass scale.
The companies also urged reducing the 12 per cent goods and services tax (GST) on microirrigation to zero. Earlier, a pilot micro irrigation project was conducted for cotton by the Soil Conservation Department. Under the project, 200 acres of cotton crop was brought under the drip irrigation system.
