Impact assessment of drip irrigation in India: The case of sugarcane

Against the background of the rapid decline in irrigation water potential and low water-use efficiency in the flood (conventional) method of irrigation, drip irrigation has recently been introduced to Indian agriculture. Besides saving a substantial amount of water, it also helps to increase the productivity of crops. This study attempts to evaluate its impact on sugarcane using farm-level data from Maharashtra. Using a discounted cash flow technique, it was found that productivity was 23% higher than that under the flood method of irrigation, with water saving of about 44% per hectare and electricity saving of about 1059 kwh/ha – in short, drip investment in sugarcane cultivation remains economically viable even without subsidy.