Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Hosts Comprehensive One-Day National Workshop On "Per Drop More Crop"

On 31st May 2023 Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA & FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India organized a national workshop on “Per Drop More Crop”. The workshop was organized in New Delhi. Participants representing various Ministries or Departments of the Central Government, States, and Union Territories, along with stakeholders from Irrigation Industries, startups involved in the water management sector, and Farmer's Producer Organizations (FPOs), gathered at the event to discuss and explore different strategies for enhancing the adoption of micro irrigation across India.

DA&FW Secretary, Ahuja inaugurated the workshop. After their inauguration, he expressed his viewpoints and told that the agriculture sector can become advanced if farmers across the nation can adopt modern technologies. He emphasized applying different strategies that can be applied to enhance micro-irrigation coverage which in turn can increase the productivity of agricultural produce ensuring food security, and increase in food distribution across the country.

Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) who also participated in this workshop told that people should put their efforts to adopt micro-irrigation on a large scale. Micro-irrigation is a good technique to remove the water footprint in the agriculture sector and boost the economy as well.

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In the workshop, Franklin L Khobung, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare gave detailed information on PDMC Scheme. It was told that The Department of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) has been actively implementing the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme since 2015-16, as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme across all states in India. The primary focus of this scheme is to improve water use efficiency at the farm level through the adoption of Micro Irrigation methods such as Drip and Sprinkler irrigation systems. Over the years, a significant area of 78 lakh hectares has been covered under Micro Irrigation, which is 81% higher than the pre-PDMC period of eight years. This reflects the government's commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture, increasing water productivity, and enhancing farmers' incomes.

To further support and incentivize the adoption of Micro Irrigation, the government established the Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) in collaboration with NABARD in 2018-19. MIF earlier funded Rs 5000 Crore, targeted towards providing additional incentives to the farmers. This was done to encourage farmers to adopt Micro- irrigation techniques apart from provisions provided in the PDMC scheme.

The fund also supports innovative integrated projects, including Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, to expand the reach of Micro Irrigation. In a recent budget announcement, it was revealed that the Micro Irrigation Fund will be doubled, augmenting it by an additional Rs. 5,000 crores, thereby further strengthening efforts to promote Micro Irrigation across the country.

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In the program, several farmers across different states were recognized for their effortless work in the adoption of micro-irrigation and adopting water management strategies. 5 States were recognized which included- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Experts from the Ministry of Jal Shakti emphasized strategies that can cover micro-irrigation and the impact of Groundwater management. Organizations like NABARD highlighted approaches to adopting finance options to increase micro-irrigation reach.

Franklin also discussed on draft revised guidelines for the implementation of the PDMC Scheme. He also told about the positive impact of stakeholders on the implementation of the scheme.

Also Read:- Over Half of Cultivated Land Now has Irrigation Access of 52%, Reports Niti Aayog