HUBBALLI: If you walk along some areas of Navalgund taluk in Dharwad distrct, you can see lush green fields and ponds filled with water despite the region facing an unusual hot summer.
The credit should go to the ‘Krishi Hondas’ (farm ponds) dug across the fields to store rainwater.
Around 287 farmers of Navalgund taluk have dug ponds in their fields under the Krishi Bhagya scheme which was implemented first in the district in 2014-15. They got good yield with the help of these ponds as the taluk had received more than average rainfall.
Basureddy Roogi of Sotakanal village in Navalgund taluk, who owns 130 acres, has built four ponds and can accumulate a huge quantum of water.
He is the first farmer to grow sugarcane in the taluk and adopts organic methods. He optimally utilised the rainwater to store it for future use and resorted to drip irrigation to ensure economic use of water. As a result, he has produced 67 tonnes of sugarcane in 2014-15 and 39 tonnes in 2015-16.
Roogi told Express: “I can water crops in around 50 acres thrice with the pond water. Last year, I had grown sun flower, jowar, sugarcane, onion and maize and the yield of all crops was very good. I made a good profit.”
Encouraged by his success, people of Sotakanal, Kadadalli, Gudisagar and neighbouring villages have submitted applications for digging Krishi Hondas in their land.
Dharamappa Saludi of Navalli village said he had constructed two small ponds in his 10 acre land. As the ponds were small and storage was limited, sprinklers were used to grow high quality onion, chilli and some pulses in two acres.
He has earned a net profit of `1.5 lakh.
Agriculture Department officer L B Hosamani says: “Last year, we created 150 farm ponds against the target 50. We have managed grants for 150 ponds under the previous year’s grant and people are still coming to the Raitha Samparka Kendra and requesting for ponds. Once the grant for this year is made available, we will take new applications.”
“Deshpande Foundation, a Hubballi-based NGO, extended help to the farmers in creating ponds. It has supplied earthmovers to the farmers at a very cost effective rate,” said the officer.
Assistant Director (Hubballi) S H Patil says the scheme was implemented in Hubballi taluk last year and the response was good. Till date, around 300 ponds were created. The government will provide subsidy up to 90 per cent to SC/ST farmers and 80 per cent to others. For pump set purchase, SC/ST farmers will get 90 per cent subsidy and others get 50 per cent.
Ponds Created in 2015-16
No. of ponds in each taluk
300 Hubballi
407 Dharwad
538 Kundagol
561 Navalgund