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Groundwater Irrigation and Crop Economy in the Lower Gangetic Plain at Matbarer Char, Madaripur, South-central Bangladesh

M. AMINUL HAQUE
Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh.

M. SAIFUL ISLAM
Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh.

ANWAR ZAHID
Department of Geology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Attempts have been made in this paper to overview the present agricultural inputs for crop production and crop economy in the lower Gangetic plain. Results of the field survey show that the average labour requirement of Boro rice production is 35 person-days/acre. The fertilizer application by the farmers is not balanced and is well below the recommended doses. N, P₂O₅, K₂O ratio used by the farmers was 7:3:1 against the appropriate ratio of 5:4:3 for HYV Boro rice. The cost of Boro rice cultivation has been estimated on the basis of input use. The rice cultivation costs were Tk.14,335, Tk 13,875 and Tk. 11,271 per acre for the water buyer, water seller with diesel pump and water seller with electric pump respectively. Labour and irrigation costs together normally account for two- thirds of the total cost of production - increases in the prices of these inputs can greatly depress Boro rice profitability. Moreover, Gross income of the water sellers from major crops is about 32% higher than that of the water buyers. The study also shows that the total cost for a Shallow Tube Well (STW) run by diesel motive power is almost twice that for electric motive power. If groundwater irrigated agriculture system is framed in a comprehensive manner, this could play an important role in poverty alleviation.

Keywords: Groundwater, Irrigation, Crop economy, Lower Gangetic Plain

Location: Five consecutive villages, namely, Naktikandi, Kharakandi, Natunkandi (Latif Matbarerkandi), Purankandi and South Bakharerkandi (Sikderkandi) under Shibchar thana

Start Date: 00-01-2007

End Date: 00-03-2007

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Soil fertility

Objectives:

To examine present agricultural development and assess the irrigated crop economy in the lower Gangetic plain as a case study

Methodology:

Study Site: The study area was selected considering the poor agricultural activities and crop production, vulnerable soil fertility and less development of groundwater use compared to other floodplain areas of the country. Five consecutive villages, namely, Naktikandi, Kharakandi, Natunkandi (Latif Matbarerkandi), Purankandi and South Bakharerkandi (Sikderkandi) under Shibchar thana were selected as these villages have more involvement in groundwater irrigation, though these are surrounded by many river branches. The location of the study villages is shown. The area is characterized by the erosion and accretion game of the Ganges which give rise to emergence of medium to large size shoals/sand bars (locally known as char). Study shows that the development of groundwater irrigation in this part of the country is not as old as the evolution of these villages (Islam et al. 2007). In the study area, crop year is mainly divided into two seasons- Rabi and Kharif; again Kharif season has been subdivided into Kharif-I and Kharif-II. Rabi season starts from mid-October and ends in mid-March, while Kharif-I season spreads from mid-March to mid-July and Kharif-II within the span of mid-July to mid-October. Crop production is greatly influenced by the seasons. Farmers select their crops based on the land type, availability of irrigation water and on the local market demand. Rice, wheat, mustard, jute, lentil, spices, vegetables, sugarcane are the major crops cultivated in the area. The dominant irrigated crop in the study area is HYV Boro rice. With the increasing demand for municipal and rural supplies, agricultural, industrial and other uses, and understanding the natural distribution for long-term sustainability of groundwater irrigation is very important.

Sample Collection: The study area covered five adjacent villages of Naktikandi, Kharakandi, Natunkandi, Purankandi and Sikderkandi under Matbarer Char Union of Shibchar Upazila, Madaripur district of southwest Bangladesh. The area was selected considering the low agricultural growth and groundwater development. This study was based on the field survey data collected during the survey period (January-March 2007) through direct interviews of 83 respondents using structured questionnaires. The respondents were selected randomly covering all the study villages. Among the respondents, there were 49 water buyers (WBs) and 34 water sellers (WSs) . The study also covered as many as 44 wells out of which 3 were of electric centrifugal pump and the rests were of diesel centrifugal pump. 32 Haque et al.

Source of Information: J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 38(1): 29-39, June 2012

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Results of the field survey show that the average labor requirement of Boro rice production is 35 person-days/acre. The fertilizer application by the farmers is not balanced and is well below the recommended doses. N, P₂O₅, K₂O ratio used by the farmers was 7:3:1 against the appropriate ratio of 5:4:3 for HYV Boro rice. The cost of Boro rice cultivation has been estimated on the basis of input use. The rice cultivation costs were Tk.14,335, Tk 13,875 and Tk. 11,271 per acre for the water buyer, water seller with diesel pump and water seller with electric pump respectively. Labour and irrigation costs together normally account for two- thirds of the total cost of production - increases in the prices of these inputs can greatly depress Boro rice profitability. Moreover, Gross income of the water sellers from major crops is about 32% higher than that of the water buyers. The study also shows that the total cost for a Shallow Tube Well (STW) run by diesel motive power is almost twice that for electric motive power. If groundwater irrigated agriculture system is framed in a comprehensive manner, this could play an important role in poverty alleviation.

Knowledge Management: Journal