The economic analysis of water-saving rice production technologies, viz. system of rice intensification (SRI), semi-dry and rotational irrigation vis-Ã -vis farmers’ practice has been carried out based on the study executed in Modukuru pilot area of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Among the three water-saving rice production technologies analyzed, the total cost of cultivation has been recorded highest in SRI (Rs 58645/ha), followed by rotational (Rs 47140/ha) and semi-dry (Rs 39321/ha). But, the per hectare yield has been found highest in SRI (6.85 t), followed by semi-dry (6.66 t) and rotational (6.2 t), inferring that all the three technologies have recorded higher yields over farmers’ practice of 5.5 t/ha. However, the net returns and B-C ratio are maximum in semi-dry (Rs 43,484/ha; 1.11), followed by rotational (Rs 30,085; 0.64) and SRI (Rs 26,466/ha; 0.45) methods. Similarly, the water-use efficiency has been found highest in SRI (8.53 kg/ ha-mm), followed by semi-dry (8.02 kg/ha-mm) and rotational (7.33 kg/ ha-mm) methods, while the water-use efficiency benefit (Rs/ha-mm) has been recorded maximum in semi-dry (52.39), followed by SRI (42.08) and rotational (35.56) methods. With the initiation of Andhra Pradesh Water Management Project, Bapatla, the area under semi-dry rice cultivation has been found increasing over a period of four years, from 0.6 ha in 2004-2005 to 22 ha in 2007 -2008.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Babu, G. Kishore

Chandra, S. Ramesh

Radha, Y.

Rao, G. Subba

Reddy, K. Yella

English

Research Papers in Economics

Agricultural Economics Research Review
Vol. 22   (Conference Number) 2009   pp 397-400
* Author for correspondence,
Email: radharao123@yahoo.co.in
1 It is part of the FAO-funded Andhra Pradesh Water
Management Project, Bapatla
Water-saving Rice Production Technologies in Krishna Western Delta
Command of Andhra Pradesh – An Economic Analysis1
Y. Radha*, K. Yella Reddy, G. Subba Rao, S. Ramesh Chandra and G. Kishore Babu
A.P. Water Management Project, Bapatla – 522 101, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh
Abstract
The economic analysis of water-saving rice production technologies, viz. system of rice intensification
(SRI), semi-dry and rotational irrigation vis-à-vis farmers’ practice has been carried out based on the study
executed in Modukuru pilot area of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Among the three water-saving rice
production technologies analyzed, the total cost of cultivation has been recorded highest in SRI
(Rs 58645/ha), followed by rotational (Rs 47140/ha) and semi-dry (Rs 39321/ha). But, the per hectare yield
has been found highest in SRI (6.85 t), followed by semi-dry (6.66 t) and rotational (6.2 t), inferring that all
the three technologies have recorded higher yields over farmers’ practice of 5.5 t/ha. However, the net
returns and B-C ratio are maximum in semi-dry (Rs 43,484/ha; 1.11), followed by rotational (Rs 30,085; 0.64)
and SRI (Rs 26,466/ha; 0.45) methods. Similarly, the water-use efficiency has been found highest in SRI
(8.53 kg/ ha-mm), followed by semi-dry (8.02 kg/ha-mm) and rotational (7.33 kg/ ha-mm) methods, while the
water-use efficiency benefit (Rs/ha-mm) has been recorded maximum in semi-dry (52.39), followed by SRI
(42.08) and rotational (35.56) methods. With the initiation of Andhra Pradesh Water Management Project,
Bapatla, the area under semi-dry rice cultivation has been found increasing over a period of four years,
from 0.6 ha in 2004-2005 to 22 ha in 2007 -2008.
Introduction
Water plays an important role not only in agriculture,
but also in several other sectors, viz. industry, domestic,
power generation, etc. Realizing the importance of
water, the United Nations General Assembly has
declared the decade 2005-2015 as the International
Decade for action on ‘Water for Life’.
Although the global water availability has been
estimated as 1400 million cubic kilometres, only 0.26
per cent of it is available as surface run-off and ground
water. Therefore, it becomes extremely necessary to
maintain, conserve and use this natural resource with
utmost care in every sphere of life. Water makes a
significant contribution to food security, as it directly
affects agricultural productivity. The irrigated areas that
comprise 17 per cent of agricultural land produce nearly
40 per cent of food and other agricultural commodities.
Currently, there are some 250 million ha of irrigated
area, almost three-quarters of which are in the
developing countries. The water used for irrigation in
developing countries makes up over 80 per cent of
freshwater-use.
The per capita availability of water in Andhra
Pradesh is estimated to decline from the present level
of 1400 cum to 1000 cum by 2025 (AP Water Vision,
2003). The water utilization by agricultural sector in
the state is estimated to increase from the present level
of 2268 tmc to 3814 tmc by 2025. Rice is the
predominant crop in Andhra Pradesh and more than
95 per cent of rice area is under irrigated conditions,
consuming 67 per cent of irrigation water in the state.
Rice crop occupied an area of 3.98 Mha with a total
production of 17.81 Mt. The present irrigated rice yield
is recorded at 5.3 t/ha and is estimated to be increased
to 7.1 t/ha to meet the demand without increase in398 Agricultural Economics Research Review    Vol.22   (Conference Number)  2009
prices, which would adversely affect the poor (Roland
et al.).
Under the present situation of decreasing per capita
availability of agricultural land and water, research
should be focused on increasing land productivity and
achieving more crop per drop of water. With this
objective in view, the FAO-funded Andhra Pradesh
Water Management (APWAM) Project has started
functioning with the main centre at Bapatla, since 2003.
The present study is part of the research work carried
out under the APWAM Project.
Objectives
As part of project mandate, the present study on
economic analysis of water-saving rice production
technologies was carried out with the following
objectives:
• To compare the economics of water-saving rice
production technologies vis-à-vis farmers’ practice,
and
• To study the water-use efficiency of water-saving
rice production technologies vis-à-vis farmers’
practice.
Methodology
The study was conducted in one of the selected
pilot areas of APWAM Project, viz. Modukuru village
of Tsunduru mandal in the Guntur district. A total of
214 farmers with a cultivated area of 264 ha were
covered under the selected Modukuru branch No. 2
canal for the present study. The three identified water-
saving rice production technologies, viz. SRI (System
of Rice Intensification), Semi-dry and Rotational
irrigation were demonstrated in farmers’ fields, over a
period of four years, from 2004-05 to 2007-08, and
were compared with the farmers’ practice for analysing
the economics of cost of cultivation and returns. The
water-use efficiency was calculated by using CRIWAR
model (Rob Kselik, 2005) for all the three selected
technologies and was compared with the farmers’
practice.
Results and Discussion
The details about the three identified water-saving
rice production technologies, viz. SRI, semi-dry and
rotational irrigation along with farmers’ practice taken
up in Modukuru village since kharif 2004, are given in
Table 1. It was observed that the area under semi-dry
cultivation has increased over the past three years,
reflecting the advantages associated with this
technology.
Costs and Returns
The costs and returns of all the three water-saving
rice production technologies along with the farmers’
Table 1. Details of water saving rice production technologies used under APWAM project: 2004-05 to 2007-08
Year Particulars Farmers’ practice SRI Semi-dry Rotational
2004-05 Total area (ha) 1.0 - 0.6 0.4
Yield (t/ha) 5.5 - 5.6 5.6
2005-06 Total area (ha) 0.4 0.2 1.6 0.52
Yield (t/ha) 4.9 7.0 6.6 6.0
Depth of water (mm) 1100 572 828 707
Water-use efficiency (kg/ha-mm) 4.4 12.2 8.0 8.5
2006-07 Total area (ha) 1.2 0.10 9.48 21.46
Yield (t/ha) 5.5 6.8 6.1 5.9
Depth of water (mm) 1074 580 714 821
Water-use efficiency (kg/ha-mm) 5.1 11.7 8.5 7.1
2007-08 Total area (ha) 1.2 0.8 22.0 19.6
Yield (t/ha) 5.8 6.9 6.6 6.2
Depth of water (mm) 918 629 829 846
Water-use efficiency (kg/ha-mm) 6.3 10.9 8.0 7.3
Source: Annual Reports of A P Water Management Project, different yearsRadha et al. : Water-saving Rice Production Technologies in Andhra Pradesh: Economic Analysis 399
practice have been presented in Table 2. The highest
yield of 6.85 t/ha was recorded in SRI, followed by
6.66 t/ha in semi-dry and 6.2 t/ha in rotational irrigations
as compared to 5.5 t/ha in farmers’ practice. The higher
yields in all the three new technologies were reflected
in increased gross income of 12-24 per cent and
increased net returns of 15-89 per cent over farmers’
practice. The net benefit-cost ratio was maximum in
semi-dry (1.11), followed by rotational (0.64), farmers’
practice (0.50) and SRI (0.45).
Although the yield and gross income were high in
SRI, the net benefit-cost ratio was high in semi-dry,
owing to its lesser cost of cultivation, as compared with
other technologies, viz. SRI and rotational. Thus, the
net benefit-cost ratio was more than double in the semi-
dry over the farmers’ practice. The B-C ratio was lower
in SRI than farmers’ practice, because of higher cost
of cultivation in SRI.
Water-use Efficiency
The water-use efficiency (WUE) of rice production
in all the three water saving rice production technologies
along with the farmers’ practice has been recorded in
Table 3.
The water-use was recorded maximum in farmers’
practice (918 mm), followed by rotational (845 mm),
semi-dry (830 mm) and SRI (803 mm) methods. It
reflected the highest water-use efficiency of 8.53 kg/
ha-mm in SRI, followed by semi-dry (8.02 kg/ha-mm),
rotational (7.33 kg/ha-mm) and farmers’ practice (5.99
kg/ha-mm). The results are in concurrence with the
results of Rao et al. (2008), wherein it was reported
that semi-dry and rotational systems of irrigation gave
similar or slightly higher grain yields in paddy with higher
water-use efficiency, as compared with farmers’
practice of continuous flooding in the Krishna Western
Delta command area of Andhra Pradesh. The water-
use efficiency benefit was found maximum in semi-
dry (52.39 Rs/ha-mm), followed by SRI (42.08 Rs/ ha-
mm), rotational (35.56 Rs/ha-mm) and least in farmers’
practice (25.11 Rs/ ha-mm).
Conclusions
Among the three water-saving rice production
technologies analyzed, the total cost of cultivation has
been recorded highest in SRI (Rs 58645/ha), followed
by rotational (Rs 47140/ha) and semi-dry (Rs 39321/
Table 2. Comparative yield and income measures of water saving rice production technologies
Particulars Farmers’ Semi-dry Rotational SRI Percentage differential
practice over farmers’ practice
Semi- Rotational SRI
dry
Yield (t/ha) 5.50 6.66 6.2 6.85 21.09 12.72 24.55
Price (Rs/t) 12133 12133 12133 12133 - - -
Total cost of cultivation(Rs/ha) 45681 39321 47140 58645 -13.92 3.19 28.38
Gross income(Rs/ha) 68733 82805 77225 85111 20.47 12.35 23.82
Net returns(Rs/ha) 23052 43484 30085 26466 88.64 30.50 14.81
B:C ratio 0.50 1.11 0.64 0.45 122.00 28.00 -0.1
Table 3. Water-use efficiency of water saving rice production technologies
Particulars Farmers’ Semi-dry Rotational SRI Percentage differential
practice over farmers’ practice
Semi- Rotational SRI
dry
Yield (kg/ha) 5500 6660 6200 6850 21.09 12.73 24.55
Net returns (Rs/ha) 23052 43485 30085 26467 88.64 30.50 14.81
Water-use (mm) 918 830 845 803 -9.59 -7.95 -12.53
Water-use efficiency (kg/ha-mm) 5.99 8.02 7.33 8.53 33.89 22.37 42.40
Water-use efficiency benefit (Rs/ha-mm) 25.11 52.39 35.56 42.08 108.64 41.61 67.58400 Agricultural Economics Research Review    Vol.22   (Conference Number)  2009
ha) methods. But, the per hectare yield is maximum in
SRI (6.85 t), followed by semi-dry (6.66 t) and rotational
(6.2 t), inferring that all the three technologies have
recorded higher yields over the farmers’ practice with
5.5 t/ha. However, the net returns and B-C ratio are
high in semi-dry (Rs 43,484/ha; 1.11), followed by
rotational (Rs 30,085; 0.64) and SRI (Rs 26,466/ha;
0.45) methods. Similarly, the water-use efficiency has
been found highest in SRI (8.53 kg/ha-mm), followed
by semi-dry (8.02 kg/ha-mm) and rotational (7.33 kg/
ha-mm) irrigations, while the water-use efficiency
benefit (Rs/ha-mm) was high in semi-dry (52.39),
followed by SRI (42.08) and rotational (35.56).
References
Andhra Pradesh Water Vision Document (2003) Mission
Support Unit, Water Conservation Mission, Government
of Andhra Pradesh.
Annual Reports of Network Operational Research Project
(2004-2008) Andhra Pradesh Water Management Project.
Acharya N G Ranga Agrciultural University, Bapatla
Main Centre, Andhra Pradesh.
Rao, G.S., Srinivas, D., Mukunda Rao, B., Satynarayana, T.V.
and Ravi Kumar, K.N. ( 2008) Evaluation of water-saving
rice production systems in Krishna Western Delta of
Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Agricultural Journal,
55(2): 125-126.
Rob, Kselik (2005) Appraisal of water management practices
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Report No. 11: 27, APWAM Project, Bapatla, Andhra
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Roland, J., Buresh, David Dawe, Tuong, T.P., Ladha, J.K.,
Bas Bouman, Rhoda Lautin, Shoobing, Peng, Martin,
Mortimer and James, E. Hill. Sustainable Soil and Water
Management of Irrigated Rice Ecosystems.
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Andhra Pradesh Water Vision Document

Annual Reports of Network Operational Research Project (2004-2008) Andhra Pradesh Water Management Project.

Appraisal of water management practices by computer simulation.

Evaluation of water-saving rice production systems in Krishna Western Delta of Andhra Pradesh.

Water-saving Rice Production Technologies in Krishna Western Delta Command of Andhra Pradesh – An Economic Analysis

Water-saving Rice Production Technologies in Krishna Western Delta Command of Andhra Pradesh – An Economic Analysis

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