ABSTRACT
This article is a modest attempt to highlight contributions of the Department of Agricultural Economics, UAS GKVK to the economics of groundwater irrigation with the blessings and guidance of Professor Ramanna Sir (Prof. RR), the doyen of the department. The visit to University of California Berkeley gave exposure to institutional economics – correlative rights where, whenever there is groundwater overdraft, the extraction should be restricted to the aquifer- overlying farmers which, if applied to India, will usher in cooperation and sustainable extraction. It was estimated that 42 kWh of electricity were required to pump one acre inch of groundwater, and IP set on average using 30 to 40 kWh per day, consumed 7500 to 10,000 kWh annually. Amortised variable costs of drilling, casing, operational costs, and fixed costs of pumping account for 50 to 75%, and energy costs form around 20 to 25% of the total cost of groundwater. The cultivation of crops based on the more crop per drop criterion does not maximise net returns to farmers, and hence irrigation extension, involving agricultural graduates, is required to educate farmers and consumers regarding the economic cost of groundwater for sustainable use.
