Ahmedabad, Dec 4 : Gujaratâ??s sustained push for efficient water management has delivered strong results, with 1.20 lakh hectares brought under micro-irrigation in 2024-25 alone.

The state has been aggressively expanding modern irrigation methods -- drip, sprinkler, rain-gun and porous pipes -- to boost productivity while conserving water, as per officials.

The initiative stems from a policy vision introduced in 2005 by then Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched the Micro-Irrigation Scheme through the Gujarat Green Revolution Company (GGRC). The goal: enable farmers to achieve higher yields using minimal water in an era of globalised and diversified agriculture.

Over the last two decades, more than 16.28 lakh farmers have adopted micro-irrigation across 25.05 lakh hectares, supported by Rs 9,224.27 crore in incentives - Rs 5,740.71 crore from the state government and Rs 3,483.56 crore from the Centre.

Under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has accelerated the shift towards advanced irrigation practices. In 2023â??24, around 1.30 lakh hectares were added under micro-irrigation; in 2024â??25, another 1.20 lakh hectares, backed by subsidies worth Rs 605.42 crore (Rs 329.42 crore by the state and Rs 276 crore by the Centre).

Among districts, Banaskantha leads with 4.88 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation, followed by Junagadh (1.85 lakh ha) and Rajkot (1.35 lakh ha).

A significant share of Gujaratâ??s micro-irrigation adoption comes from middle-income farmers, with 8.92 lakh medium farmers covering 16.42 lakh hectares, followed by 4.98 lakh small farmers implementing the system over 5.90 lakh hectares.

Additionally, 1.83 lakh marginal farmers have adopted micro-irrigation across 1.23 lakh hectares, while 55,000 large farmers have brought 1.49 lakh hectares under the system.

Of the 25.05 lakh hectares covered statewide, 20.52 lakh hectares are under field crops, and 4.52 lakh hectares are under horticulture crops.

Among field crops, groundnut accounts for the largest share with 11.02 lakh hectares, followed by cotton at 7.56 lakh hectares and sugarcane at 0.16 lakh hectares.

In horticulture, micro-irrigation has been adopted across 2.20 lakh hectares of potato, 0.34 lakh hectares of banana, 0.18 lakh hectares of mango, and 0.92 lakh hectares of vegetable cultivation, reflecting the systemâ??s growing importance across diverse crop categories.

/IANS