Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project (PIPIP 2012-13 to 2020-21) was aimed at improving the water shortage problem for the farmers by providing the subsidies to enhance the rate of installation of High Efficiency (Drip/Sprinkler) irrigation Systems (HIES). The government provided subsidy up to 60 % of the total cost of installation of HIES on land area of up to 15 acres. This subsidy is available to all farmers within Punjab.
Another subsidy scheme introduced by government in 2019 that covers up to 80 % of the total system costs for installation of HEIS on the land area of up to 15 acres. This project was focused on the tehsils of Khushab and Pind Dadan Khan and is named as Command Area Development of Jalalpur Irrigation Project (CADJIP).
Despite the support from the government the implementation of these methods by the local farmers is not promising. There are many factors that hinders the way of adoption of this method. Clogging in the emitters has been reported as one of the major problems. Since this technique is aimed at saving more water as a result small flows of water require small openings of the emitters. One of the causes of clogging is by the surface level sand particles that get stuck in the emitters and clog them. The emitter orifices are very small as a result frequent filtration and biological controls are required. Presence of designers is needed at all times to address the problem.
Another major problem that concerns the farmers is Salinity. Point-wetting/Strip-wetting is not always helpful as salt tends to accumulate near the emitters and do not reach targeted zone. In heavy rainfall this issue is observed but normal times it is very important issue to be addressed. Since many crops are sensitive of soil salinity this is the reason this issue concerns the farmers. On the other hand, it proved to be profitable for the production of processed tomatoes in saline land area.
The root area of the plant tends to be smaller and distributed densely. The salinity results in
anchorage and aeration problems for some type of crops. It is also observed that some predatory insects tend to breed in area full of weeds near the fields. As a result, it has been reported that at some areas the drip irrigation requires higher amount of pesticides.
In the dry areas the dust causes the problems for emitters.
As a whole, the solid-set structure of this irrigation system demands enhanced filtration requirements that makes it costly. Even through the government offers high subsidy of up to 60 to 80 % for setting up the HEIS system still it is high cost for poor farmers of Pakistan. This makes drip irrigation suitable for row-crops, orchards and vineyards.
According to me the design of the drip irrigation plant for a farm is same as working on an art piece. It requires effort to enhance the efficiency and reduction in the use labor and capital. Every farm differs in its requirement due to the difference in soil quality and type, water sources and quality, financial and capital capacity of the farmer, and crop type.
The drip irrigation is not simple and requires great management skills in addition to the tangible resources. The involvement of farmers in the processes of design, installation, operations, maintenance, and material selection will not only make them able but also boost their confidence in drip irrigation.
Conclusively, this method has great benefits for enhancing the production of agricultural products in Pakistan. This will prove to be a very beneficial technique since Pakistan is facing a severe freshwater shortage. The strengthening of effectiveness of this technique is majorly based on the inclusion of farmers in all processes to yield better results.
