Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand stresses on better management of water in agriculture sector

Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand expressed concern over India's high water usage in agriculture compared to other nations, stressing the need for better water management in the farm sector. With rising demand for food and water, the focus is on promoting cultivation based on local conditions and utilizing modern technologies for efficient water usage.

Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand on Friday expressed concern that the country uses 2-3 times more water to produce one tonne of agriculture crop compared to several developed as well as developing nations and stressed on better water management in the farm sector.

Addressing an event organised on the occasion of World Water Day 2024 by Dhanuka Agritech Ltd, he stressed on better management of water in the agriculture sector.

Chand noted that the demand for food and water is increasing because of rising population and also income growth.

He said the demand for water is also increasing because of preferences for water-intensive crops like rice. The area under paddy has increased.

The Niti Aayog member pointed out that the total acreage of rabi (winter-sown) crops has increased when there is no rainfall.

''India uses 2-3 times more water for producing 1 tonne of crop compared to several developed and developing nations,'' Chand said, while emphasising on the need for better water management.

He said the state governments should promote cultivation according to local environmental and geographical conditions.

Wastage of resources in irrigation projects, faulty crop pattern, wrong technique of crop cultivation, and growing of off-season vegetables have aggravated the problem, the Niti Aayog member said.

Chand highlighted that the government in the last few years has given a lot of emphasis on augmenting irrigation facilities for the agriculture sector.

In the last few years, he said the area under irrigation has increased by 1 per cent every year taking it from 47 per cent to 55 per cent.

Union Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh said, ''In collaboration with the Jal Shakti ministry, we are exploring ways to maximize usage of surface water. For example, if water from a canal is presently irrigating 100 hectare of agricultural land, how can we take it to 150 hectare using various means but the same amount of water.'' R C Agrawal, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), ICAR, stressed upon the need to educate farmers and youths about right water usage in the agriculture sector. ''We are designing a course which will make them aware about water usage in the agriculture sector and offer solutions,'' said Agrawal.

Dhanuka Group Chairman R G Agarwal strongly advocated adoption of modern technologies for agricultural purposes.

''Around 70 per cent of water is used for agriculture purposes. The usage of modern technologies like drones, sprinkler, drip irrigation and water sensors would help reduce the requirement of water for agriculture purposes significantly. It will also help in reducing water wastage to a large extent,” he said.

World Cooperative Economic Forum Executive President Binod Anand spoke about optimizing water resources through precision agriculture.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)