Punjab to promote micro-irrigation
Aiming for sustainable water management, the Punjab government announced that it would promote microirrigation of maize on 1,000 acres this season. Of this, micro-irrigation of maize crop in 1,000 acres would be undertaken. While 900 acres would have surface-based drip system, the remaining sub-surfacebased drip system, Tandrust Punjab Mission Director K.S. Pannu said.
Four micro-irrigation companies would take up drip irrigation projects for maize in 10 acres each, Pannu said.
Dharminder Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Soil, said drip irrigation would help conserve water and increase yield. The department is ready to launch it on a large scale.
Experts from Punjab Agricultural University said they had conducted subsurface drip irrigation experiments during the maize-wheat-moong cycle and it should be promoted on a mass scale.