Trends in net irrigated area from different sources in Karnataka

Agriculture plays a central role in India’s economy, contributing significantly to its overall development. A key factor in boosting agricultural production is the availability of irrigation. In India, the total irrigated area has increased from 22.6 million hectares in 1950-51 to 71.6 million hectares in 2018-19 which is more than half of the country’s net sown area. The main objective of the study is to analyse the extent of irrigated area by different sources in the state. For the study secondary data has been collected. The secondary data on irrigated area under different sources of irrigation in the state was collected from Karnataka Neeravari Nigama Limited (KNNL), Government of Karnataka and Director of Economics and Statistics (DES), and Karnataka at a Glance and from other published sources. The entire study period was divided into two periods as Period-I and Period-II (2001-02 to 2010-11 and 2011-12 to 2020-21) to analyse the performance of area irrigated by different sources in the state. The data were analysed using Compound Annual Growth Rate technique. The results revealed that the net irrigated area in Karnataka, analysed in two distinct periods has consistently exhibited a positive growth trajectory. The net irrigated area in Karnataka, exhibited consistent growth from 21,76,735 hectares in 2001-02 to 46,75,102 hectares in 2020-21, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.64 per cent. Notably, tubewells demonstrated the highest growth rate, experiencing a substantial increase of 14.62 per cent during the initial period. In contrast, the net irrigated area sourced from canals declined by 6.88 per cent, and that from tanks decreased by 1.28 per cent in the later period. This shift can be attributed to farmers practicing use of tube wells and bore wells as their primary and more reliable sources of water.