Development of irrigation infrastructure, cropping pattern and profitability of crops cultivated in cauvery river basin of Karnataka
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Abstract
The study attempts to know the development of irrigation infrastructure, cropping pattern and
profitability of crops cultivated in Cauvery river basin of Karnataka. The study uses primary and
secondary data pertaining to Mandya district, which is the major beneficiary of the KRS Project of
Cauvery basin for irrigation purpose. For this study 120 farm households were selected through
appropriate sampling procedure. The data thus collected were processed using statistical tools
including descriptive tools, Compound Annual Growth Rate, Markov Chain Analysis, Cobb-Douglas
Production Function and Garrett Ranking Method.
The results revealed that, the irrigation intensity in the study area was hardly 118 per cent,
and nearly 72 per cent of the gross irrigated area in Mandya district depends on canal water for
irrigation, while tanks and tube/bore wells support 16 per cent and 4 per cent, as other sources
contributing remaining 8 per cent. Paddy, ragi, coconut, sugarcane, horsegram, maize and sesamum
were the major crops cultivated in the study area. Mono-cropping was done season after season and
year after year and not much of healthy crop rotation practices were followed. Given the availability of
irrigation water, the current cropping pattern with greater emphasis on paddy and sugarcane for
commercial reasons and ragi for domestic consumption purposes, would be likely to continue in the
near future. In general in the study area, sugarcane was the most profitable crop with a mean net
returns of Rs.1,47,288 per ha and a benefit-cost ratio of 2.02. The corresponding figures for paddy
were Rs.31,342 per ha and 1.52, while for ragi they were Rs.3,159 per ha and 1.12. Over the last
decade, maize, banana, sesamum and coconut have gained importance as indicated by their
significant positive high compound annual growth rates in cropped area, which is a desirable change
replacing the age-old monotonous sugarcane-paddy cropping system. Labour scarcity and high wage
rate were the serious problems faced by the sample respondents in crop production. Amongst the
irrigation related problems, untimely and inadequate release of water from the dam for irrigation
purposes and sedimentation in canals and tanks were the most serious ones. These problems need
to be addressed by the policy makers on priority basis.
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