Drip irrigation works wonders for farmers in Surat

Efficient use of drip irrigation technique is changing the lives of a number of farmers in Surat district of Gujarat.

Talking to farmers' delegations from Navsari and Mandvi about the successful use of drip irrigation in the picturesque village of Timba village in Kamrej taluka of Surat district is Dahyabhai Bhagubhai Patel, who recently won the Gujarat government's prize of Rs 51,000 in banana cultivation.

The farmers have come to this village, about 20 kms east of Surat city, near the National Highway Number Eight, to learn about drip irrigation technique from their counterparts here and share their experience.

Timba is a small village with a population of just 2,000.

For his banana plantation developed through organic farming, Dahyabhai has opted for drip irrigation, an old technique developed by Israel but now catching the fancy of farmers in Surat district.

"You will be surprised to know that the drip irrigation technique started in Surat district from Kamrej taluka," he said.

The drip irrigation system helps in saving both time and water, but the most important factor is the enhanced productivity it gives to the land, the farmer said.

"With the help of drip irrigation, I have now experimented with a mix plantation of bananas and 'karelas' and farmers from all around are thronging here to have a look at my fields," Dahyabhai said.

And Dahyabhai is not alone. A number of farmers are using the technique in their sprawling green fields in the interiors of Surat district.

Take the case of Bharatbhai Rana, a farmer of Panwadi village in Vyara taluka, about 68 kms east of Surat city.

Bharatbhai has grown the twin crops of papayas and brinjals in his farm with the help of drip irrigation and also bagged the first prize at the 'krishi mela' organised in Vadodara last year.

In Gamtalav Khurd in Mandvi taluka, 100 farmers using drip irrigation will plant a special variety of 'phudina' which is much in demand in the manufacture of perfumes.

Today, a total of 203 farmers in Surat have adopted drip irrigation and their entire cultivation is done with the help of drip farming.

"In all, 326 hectares of land in the entire district is under drip irrigation," said Shishir Kumar Solanki, district agricultural officer. "To spread awareness about drip irrigation, we have provided financial assistance of Rs 67 lakh to 200 "progressive" farmers identified by us," Solanki said.

During the current year, Solanki's department has gone one step further and extended a financial aid of Rs 1.78 crore to 700 farmers. He said drip irrigation was a very good system for horticultural products.

Surat district collector V S Gadhvi said the district has the unique advantage of being in the forefront of both industry and agriculture.

One of the reasons for the massive strides taken by Surat on the agriculture front is the Ukai Dam.

"The Ukai dam, the oldest and the biggest in Gujarat, has played a pivotal role in giving a major boost to agriculture in Surat district. And now, Surat farmers are charting a new course experimenting with new technologies, cropping patterns and adopting new alternatives like organic farming," said Umesh Bavisa, a Gujarat government officer who has written several articles on the agricultural trends in Surat district.

Bavisa said one of the main fallout of drip irrigation is the twin crop, which the farmers can take simultaneously. Depending on the season, farmers have opted for bananas with ginger, bananas with karelas and brinjals with papayas.

"The overheads are reduced and the income doubles and to top it all, attractive prizes are to be won," Bavisa said.

Secondly, the entire exercise is also helping in bringing about the much-needed change in the soil culture of Surat district, which was literally straining under the overload of water.

"Drip irrigation will go a long way in improving the health of land in Surat," said Dahyabhai.

The government, gauging the seriousness of the situation, had launched a special programme to improve the health of the land.