Per Drop More Drop Scheme Covers 96.97 Lakh Hectares in Andhra

New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) An area of 96.97 lakh hectares (ha) has been covered under micro irrigation in Andhra Pradesh since inception of the the Per Drop More Drop (PDMD) scheme in 2015-16, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said this includes 20,819 hectares covered under the PDMD scheme in Tirupati district.

Under the PDMC scheme, financial assistance is provided to farmers for installation of micro irrigation systems at 55 per cent and 45 per cent of the unit cost to small and marginal farmers and other farmers, respectively, including those of minority community.

In addition, the Andhra Pradesh government provides additional/ top-up subsidy to encourage farmers to adopt micro irrigation.

According to the Andhra government, 19,272 farmers have been benefitted since 2015-16 under the scheme in Tirupati district.

On promotion of water-efficient crops in water-stressed regions of AP, the minister said as per the state government report, 14,332 hectares of paddy under bore wells and tobacco was diverted to pulses, millets, maize and oilseeds from 2022-23 to 2024-25 under Crop Diversification Program.

To encourage cultivation of less water intensive crops, several steps are being taken, which include promoting water efficient crops like millets and pulses, cluster demonstrations on good agricultural practices, distribution of certified seeds, production of certified seeds, distribution of inputs for soil and plant protection management, etc.

Dry land horticulture crops are also being promoted in water stressed regions of the state.