MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino farmers will be able to know more about the wonders of drip irrigation and fertigation at the Agrilink trade show which starts on Thursday, October 6, and will run through Saturday, October 8, at the World Trade Center-Metro Manila.

For the first time, India’s biggest drip irrigation company, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL), will showcase its products and services. The company’s chief agronomist, Dr. P. Soman, and other officials will be there to demonstrate and explain the many benefits of drip irrigation which could trigger what may be called the “Second Green Revolution.”

The Jain firm has been responsible in developing and promoting the drip irrigation technology in India, and after 10 years no less than five million hectares are now under the drip system.

Like many other new technologies, drip irrigation was not immediately appreciated by the Indian farmers. But with the novel approach of selling the idea (the concept rather than the hardware), farmers eventually saw the advantages of the drip system. Drip irrigation enabled the farmers to produce much higher yields that are of higher quality and at a reduced cost of production per unit of produce.

The agronomists and other technicians of the company worked closely with the farmers, showing how the system works. The JISL technicians had to analyze the soil of the farmer’s field such as the physical characteristics, fertility, the microbial content, the pH level, water quality and others. Then the company’s technicians also recommended the improved varieties that the farmers can plant as well as the management of the crops from seedling to harvest. For each crop the technicians have developed a package of technology which the farmers can follow.

Once the farmers see the higher yields of the drip-irrigated (also fertigated) fields, it was easy to convince the farmers to adopt the technology. For instance, in the cotton growing area of Neri Jamner in Jalgaon, only 10 farmers who cultivated a total of 20 hectares were brave enough to try the new technology when it was introduced in 2001. As the farmers observed that the drip system really works, more and more adopted the system. By 2005, the area covered by drip increased to 400 hectares. Today, farmers in the area are drip-irrigating 20,000 hectares.

And they are making money. Prakash R. Khodpe who distributes the drip irrigation equipment and who also grows his own crop says that cotton which is not irrigated usually yields 400 kilos per hectare. When the same area is irrigated by flooding, the usual yield is 2,000 kilos. But when drip irrigation is used and fertilizer is added to the water, the yield can reach 4,000 kilos per hectare.

Khodpe says that it is profitable because the total cost of production per hectare is 50,000 rupees (equivalent to P50,000). The usual price per kilo is 25 rupees so the 4,000 kilos would gross 200,000 rupees.

With fertigation (fertilizer is added to the water), there is less fertilizer and water used. There is also less labor while the yield is very much higher. In addition, fertigated cotton is harvested one month earlier than those grown the ordinary way.

Drip irrigation is applied in many other crops. Banana farmers are reaping bumper crops, thanks to fertigation and the use of tissue-cultured planting materials. Yes, Jain has also developed its own outstanding Cavendish variety (Grand Nain). The combination of these two, drip and tissue-cultured planting materials, has resulted in record yields.

A place called Waghoda in Jalgaon is one of the major banana growing areas. Here, D.K. Mhajamam, 63, is a leading banana planter and trader. He plants 20 hectares to banana and has been producing record yields. In fact, he received an award in 2003 for having produced the highest yield of 125 tons per hectare.

On the average, he says, the production per hectare in his area is 120 tons per hectare. As a trader, he assembles the harvests of other farmers in his place. Every four days, he can ship by train 2,250 tons to New Delhi.

Mhajamam obtains higher yield from his bananas by using what he calls subsurface drip irrigation. Under this system, the drip lines are buried under the soil instead of the more convenient way of installing the drip lines above ground.

He said that before drip irrigation and tissue-cultured bananas were introduced, the banana bunch weighed a mere 13 kilos. With drip irrigation but not tissue-cultured planting materials, the bunch increased to 20 kilos in weight. With fertigation and tissue-cultured plants, the weight per bunch has increased to 30 kilos.

The tissue-cultured planting materials have really contributed much to the banana industry in India. And the Jain Group has been responsible for this. It has put up a high-tech tissue-culture laboratory which is expected to produce 30 million plants this year.

Fertigation is also applied to many other crops. Sugarcane is another beneficiary of fertigation. It is claimed that fertigated cane plants can be rationed five or more times.

Pomegranate, an important crop, is also using drip irrigation as well as plastic mulching. Fertigated pomegranate plants grow fast and they are also very fruitful. Pomegranate is made into juice. Fresh fruits are also served in hotels for breakfast. It is claimed that pomegranate has medicinal properties that improve the prostate gland.

Other crops that are using drip irrigation extensively are vegetables like tomato, eggplant, pepper, watermelon, ampalaya, patola, and many others.

Jain is also a pioneer in growing mangoes and guavas the Ultra High Density way. As many as 660 mango trees can be grown in one hectare. They are maintained at a low height and harvesting is very convenient.

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S.O.A.P. AT AGRILINK – The acronym stands for “Spread Organic Agriculture in the Philippines.” It is designed to be a one-stop info center for organic farming. They will have a desk at the Department of Agriculture Pavilion at Agrilink. For schedule of events log on to www.zacsarian.blogspot.com.