The Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project will launch a series of awareness camps for farmers at villages in Chittoor district on Monday. Fifty villages will be covered in the first phase. For 2019-20, a target has been set to bring 32,000 hectares under micro irrigation in the district.
Speaking to the media here on Sunday, the APMIC project director (Chittoor) Y. Vidyashakar said all the area officials of the department along with the drip irrigation equipment companies would undertake the campaign covering at least two villages daily in each division. The officials were directed to prepare action plans covering the beneficiaries (farmers) who have potential water source in their fields, by providing them the equipment on subsidy. The campaign organisers should focus on the importance of drip and sprinkler irrigation methods in the district in the wake of perennial drought conditions.
Misconceptions
Misconceptions among farmers that micro irrigation would lead to less yields should be cleared, he said.
Apart from identifying the beneficiary farmers, the officials were also entrusted with the job of making them apply for the micro-irrigation plans. Within a week of payment, farmers would be provided with the equipment and installation on subsidy. The pending applications for the micro-irrigation schemes would also be cleared, he said.
