ECONOMICS OF DRIP IRRIGATED COTTON: A SYNTHESIS OF FOUR CASE STUDIES

Studies on different crops confirm that drip method of irrigation saves substantial amount of water, increases productivity of crops as well as reduces cost of cultivation. However, detailed studies are seldom available about the economics of cotton cultivation under drip method. Therefore, an attempt is made here to find out the impact of drip irrigation on various parameters including its economic viability. The study shows that cultivating cotton under drip irrigation provides a number of different benefits to farmers over the conventional flood method of irrigation. Drip irrigation reduces cost of irrigation by about 50 % and helps reduce the cost on weeding, interculture and preparatory works. Water saving in drip irrigation in cotton cultivation is estimated to be about 45 % of flood irrigation. This also saves the consumption of electricity by about 140 Kwh/acre compared with flood irrigation. The productivity of drip-irrigated cotton is about 114 % higher than the corresponding flood irrigation harvest. The profit of the cotton crop cultivated using drip irrigation is higher by about Rs. 20601/acre than the corresponding profit realised by flood irrigation. The net present worth and benefit-cost ratio estimated using discounted cash flow technique shows that the investment in drip irrigation is economically viable even without subsidy. The analysis also shows that the farmers would be able to repay the whole capital cost of drip system from the income generated in the very first year of raising the crop. 1