The Department of Horticulture has proposed to bring 140 hectares of cultivable area under drip irrigation during 2016-17 by offering a subsidy of Rs. 96.32 lakh to farmers, Collector S. Natarajan has said.
In a press release here on Wednesday, he said the district administration has decided to offer drip irrigation facilities with 100 per cent subsidy for small and marginal farmers and 75 per cent subsidy for other farmers. The Centre offered 35 to 45 per cent subsidy for drip irrigation under the Pradan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and the rest subsidy would be borne by the State government.
A maximum subsidy of Rs. 1 lakh would be given per hectare of land. A total of 300 farmers would be benefited under the scheme this year. Farmers who were engaged in the cultivation of vegetables, chillies, cotton and coconut could be benefited from the scheme. They would be able to save water by 40 to 60 per cent by resorting to drip irrigation, he said.
Interested farmers could visit the block-level horticulture offices or Agriculture Extension Centres to get more details.
