Crop water productivity on a Sangli canal farm
At Palus in Sangli district, a farmer irrigates 2 hectares of sugarcane from a canal and a 7.5 hp pump. The crop yields 100 tonnes per hectare and consumes about 2,000 mm of water, including canal losses charged to the field. The same field under drip can yield 120 tonnes per hectare with 35% less water. A neighbouring 1-hectare pomegranate orchard under drip uses 700 mm and yields 15 tonnes. The farmer pays a flat electricity charge and a very low canal water charge; the sugar factory offers assured payment and harvest labour. Drip costs about ₹1.2 lakh per hectare, with a 55% subsidy. The canal rotation is unreliable in March. The farmer says he will adopt drip only if the subsidy is paid before sowing and the factory guarantees the same price.
1. Calculate the physical and economic water productivity of the three options and compare them.
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Use 1 mm on 1 ha = 10 m3.
- Flood sugarcane: 2,000 mm = 20,000 m3/ha; 100 t = 100,000 kg; water productivity = 100,000 ÷ 20,000 = 5 kg/m3.
- Drip sugarcane: 35% less water = 1,300 mm = 13,000 m3/ha; 120 t = 120,000 kg; 120,000 ÷ 13,000 = 9.2 kg/m3.
- Pomegranate: 700 mm = 7,000 m3/ha; 15 t = 15,000 kg; 15,000 ÷ 7,000 = 2.1 kg/m3.
In physical terms, drip sugarcane is about 84% better than flood sugarcane. Pomegranate is lower in kg/m3 because it is a fruit with high value, not high mass. In money terms at ₹3,000/t for sugarcane, flood cane gives ₹3 lakh ÷ 20,000 m3 = ₹15/m3; drip cane gives ₹3.6 lakh ÷ 13,000 = ₹27.7/m3; pomegranate at ₹60,000/t gives ₹9 lakh ÷ 7,000 = ₹128.6/m3. The ranking is pomegranate, then drip cane, then flood cane. The farmer is still reasonable to weigh cash flow, market risk and labour.
2. What package would you propose to shift part of the farm to drip and horticulture without harming the farmer's cash flow?
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Propose a sequenced package, not a single crop switch:
- Convert the existing 2 ha of sugarcane to drip first. The water saving is about 7,000 m3/ha, and the yield gain is 20 t/ha; at ₹3,000/t that is ₹60,000/ha extra, plus water saved for the tail.
- Keep one hectare of sugarcane as a cash crop and plant 0.5–1 ha of pomegranate only if the farmer has borewell or storage capacity for protective irrigation and a market link.
- Fix subsidy timing: the sugar factory or water users' association can advance the farmer's share against a supply agreement, repaid from cane payments.
- Use the canal rotation to schedule drip at night, reducing evaporation and pump hours.
- Train on fertigation and pruning; pomegranate fails without pest management.
- Monitor water productivity each season, not just yield.
3. Why does the farmer hesitate despite a clear water saving? Identify the institutional and behavioural barriers.
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The hesitation is rational. Drip requires ₹1.2 lakh/ha upfront; even with a 55% subsidy, the farmer must finance about ₹54,000/ha and wait for reimbursement. Sugarcane gives an assured factory payment, harvest labour and a familiar market, while pomegranate has price swings, pest risk and a longer payback. Flat electricity and low canal charges remove the daily signal to save water, so the financial saving from drip is invisible. The unreliable March rotation makes the farmer value a secure crop more than an efficient one. Trust matters: past subsidy delays and factory price changes shape expectations. The package must therefore reduce upfront cash, guarantee a market or price floor, and show neighbours' results. Demonstration plots, group drip procurement and a written factory agreement are more persuasive than a lecture on water productivity.