Transcript Raising Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture
Raising
Productivity in Irrigated Agriculture
Presented at International Conference on
Uncommon Opportunities: Roadmap for Employment, Food & Global Security
November 22, 2004 The Mother’s Service Society, Pondicherry
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Low Productivity of Indian Agriculture
India ranks among the lowest countries in the world on productivity of most major crops.
Huge waste of water resources damaging crop productivity, increasing soil salinity and aggravating water shortages -- 80% of India’s water use is for irrigation.
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Low farm productivity results in
High unit cost of production High priced food Low farm incomes & purchasing power Low labour absorption High water consumption/unit of produce 3
Factors Determining Crop Productivity
Soil preparation Quality of seed Planting methods & tools Plant nutrition – type, quality & timing Water management Pest management Time & schedule management 4
Advanced Agricultural Technology (ATT)
Adapted appropriately to local conditions can Raise crop productivity by 100 to 200% Raise water use efficiency by 100 to 200%. 5
Enhancing plant nutrition can double yields & incomes on all crops.
“Every Rs 1 of investment in plant nutrition returns Rs 5 of additional income”
Dr C. Lakshmanan, CACS
One Tanjore paddy farmer reduced his production cost from Rs 3.50 to Rs 1.50 per kg 6
Crop Productivity Gap (kg/ha) Crop Maize Paddy Soy beans Seed Cotton Tomato USA 8900 7500 2250 2060 6250 China 4900 6000 1740 3500 2400 India 2100 3000 1050 750 1430
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Balanced Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition
Plants require more than 12 essential nutrients In India, soil is being tested for only three nutrients.
Without these 12 nutrients, genetic potential of hybrid seeds cannot be tapped. The same hybrid rice seed generates 2.8 tons per hectare in India, 5.4 tons in China & 8 tons in USA.
Methods employed in India for application of fertilizers lead to low absorption, low fertilizer use efficiency, high wastage and high cost.
ATT can triple productivity of the same hybrid seed.
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Soil Fertility – before treatment Optimum Level Required by Plants
100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% S oi C l p on H du O rg ct ivi an ty ic M at te P r N itr ho og sp en ho P ru ho s( sp P 1) ho ru s( P P 2) ot assi M um ag ne si um S ul ph ur C al ci um S od iu m Zi M nc an ga ne se Iro n C op pe r B or on 9
100%
Soil Fertility – after NKP treatment Optimum Level Required by Plants
80% 60% 40% 20% 0% S oi C l p on H du O rg ct ivi an ty ic M at te P N r itr ho og sp en ho P ru ho s( sp P 1) ho ru s( P P 2) ot assi M um ag ne si um S ul ph ur C al ci um S od iu m Zi M nc an ga ne se Iro n C op pe r B or on 10
Impact of Improved Soil Nutrition
Rice Crop (tons/acre) Cotton Lint (lb./A) Bringjal Maize Okra Tamil Nadu Average ATT Adapters in Tamil Nadu 2 4 Potential 6 310 890 2200 8 1.2
2 17 2.8
6 30 7.8
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Comparative Tomato Yields
India aver 8-12 tons per acre
California aver 35-40 tons
ATT in California 60 tons
Achieved in Tamil Nadu 38 tons
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Brinjal in TN
ATT achieved 17 tons/acre of brinjal in TN compared with TN average of 8 tons. Potential is for 30 tons generating more than Rs 1 lakh/acre profit 13
Red Cabbage in TN
ATT has achieved 20 tons/acre of cabbage in TN compared with TN average of 12 tons. Potential is for 30 tons 14 generating more than Rs 1 lakh/acre profit.
Badji Pepper in TN
ATT has achieved 14 tons/acre in Tamil Nadu compared with local average of 6 tons. Potential is 15 20 tons generating more than 1.5 lakhs profit/acre.
Okra in TN
ATT technology has produced 6 tons/acre of Okra in TN compared with state average of 2 tons. Potential is for 10 tons yielding income of Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh/acre.
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Sugarbeet gives 50% more sugar than cane in ½ the time with only 2/3 rd the water
ATT farmers in CA achieve the highest yields of sugarbeet. Sugarbeet can produce 35-40 tons/acre in TN in 6 months with 15% sugar recover compared to TN average of about 40 tons cane in 12 months with only 10% recovery. Also sugar beet 17 consumes only 40% as much water than sugarcane.
ATT Cotton in CA
ATT achieved cotton yields of 2200 lbs/acre in California & 890 lbs in TN compared with state average of 310 lbs.
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Maize
Maize yields of 2.8 tons/acre have been achieved in TN with ATT technology compared to TN average of 1.2 tons. ATT potential is for 7.8 tons/acre.
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Water Conservation
80% of water in India is consumed for agriculture
Real problem is wastage, not shortage
Water productivity in agriculture is extremely low California farmer produces 35 times more cotton/liter RWH can replenish 10 yrs consumption in one season Furrow irrigation can reduce water consumption 50-70% Deep chiseling can 2x crop yields & ½ water usage 20
30 36” Soil Penetration in USA
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Soil Penetration 6 8” in Tamil Nadu
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Normal Indian Soil
6” Rainwater cannot penetrate deepr or drain, so it floods roots & evaporates rapidly. The flooding prevents plant roots from breathing, which is essential for absorption of nutrients.
Crop Hard Pan Roots cannot penetrate so plant growth is stunted. Plants are small, weak, needs frequent irrigation & gives low yield.
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Deep Soil Chiseling
36” Roots sink deep to reach perennial water supply & nutrients. Plant grows large, strong & highly productive.
Crop Soft Pan Rainwater stored deep down where it will not easily evaporate & is available to plants for months
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Deep Chiseling in USA
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Deep Chiseling in TN
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Normal Flat-bed Land Preparation in TN
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Tomato with furrows in TN
ATT Tomato consumed 33% of the water 28 Achieved 217% higher yield (38 tons)
Flood Irrigation in TN
Flood irrigation methods practiced in TN waste large amounts of water and drown crops resulting 29 in high water consumption & low yields.
Furrow Irrigation in California
Furrow irrigation reduces water consumption by upto 70% while increasing crop yields.
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Furrow Irrigation in TN
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What ATT can do
Improve land use efficiency
Doubling or tripling productivity per unit area
can reduce the cost per unit of agricultural produce to enhance farm incomes and promote international competitiveness.
Improve fertilizer use efficiency
Doubling or tripling farmer income
by balancing plant nutrients in the soil to optimize plant intake of applied fertilisers, safeguarding the environment and reducing soil degradation.
Improve water use efficiency
Doubling or tripling water use efficiency
reducing waste of irrigated water.
and reducing salinization of irrigated lands through land preparation techniques that harvest rainwater on millions of acre while 32
Limitations & Requirements
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Size of land holding Capacity to invest Lack of chiseling equipment Accurate analysis of 13 nutrients Expert knowledge of plant nutritional requirements Farmer knowledge of planting, fertilization & irrigation methods 33
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Solutions
Size: Technology is size neutral Cost: Chiseling: Local equipment can be adapted Investment in soil fertility is moderate Can be incremental & return higher income each season Loans/Incentives for upgrading private farm service centres Soil tests: Establish national network of government-certified private labs Soil test analysis: Develop computerised expert systems with foreign assistance if necessary 34
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Solutions - 2
Farmer knowledge: Establish national network for demonstration & training Central training institutes Satellite training institutes Farm Schools Develop multimedia training programmes E-farming -- deliver expert advice & training via rural knowledge centres Reorient Ag Colleges to focus on Production Agriculture Develop certification programme for starting Agri-Clinics 35
State Level Project
Facilities Central training centre + 11 satellite training centres 12 soil labs & farm service centres 6000 farm schools Income Demonstration farms Agri services Training fees 36
Farmers Trained
Year 1 2 3 Farm School Instructors Trained 4 1100 1400 1500 2000 Total 6000 Lead Farmers Trained 33000 75000 120000 228000 Cumulative Total 1100 34400 76500 122000 234000
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