Report on Optimum Utilisation of Irrigation Potential

Abstract

On Lower Bhavani Project, the envisaged pattern of dry crop fanning of over 2 lakh acres (Approximately 1 lakh acre cotton plus 1 lakh groundnut and millets) has got vitiated to paddy farming, needing almost double the quantity of water likely to be available in normal years, thus resulting in an unstable agricultural development of the areas commanded besides denying benefit of irrigation to some sectors of the command. Even in years of above normal supply over-all economic gain through intensive paddy farming docs not match upto what can be achieved, in a tow rainfall region like Lower Bhavani Project command, through dry crop pattern as originally envisaged in the project i.e. cotton, millets, groundnuts