1Post-Graduate, Scholar, Department of Agricultural Extension, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati University, Sriniketan-731236, West Bengal
2Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural Extension, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati University, Sriniketan-731236, West Bengal
The present study was conducted in purposively selected Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal having better cropping and groundwater irrigation scenario. A total of 120 farmers including 60 member-farmers of WUAs, operating and managing government sources of groundwater irrigation as well as 60 farmers under private owned groundwater irrigation command area were sampled as respondents. Under private owned systems, farmers were categorized based on their presence in groundwater marketing viz. self user, self user + seller, self user + seller + buyer, self user + buyer and buyers. Most of the farmers were buyers as they do not have any source for groundwater irrigation. The irrigation use cost for self user is Rs. 22 per hour, while that for self user + seller, self user + seller + buyer and self user + buyer is Rs. 23, Rs. 24 and Rs. 24 per hour, respectively. It is interesting to note that self user + seller and self user + seller + buyer category of farmers sell the irrigation at a cost of Rs. 31 and Rs. 30 per hour, respectively. Buying cost of irrigation varied from Rs. 28 to Rs. 30 per hour. Due to less bargaining power of the farmers not having any groundwater irrigation source are forced to buy at a relatively higher rate. The cropping scenario and irrigation use efficiency are found better in case of buyer category of farmers, followed diversified cropping pattern.
Groundwater market, Groundwater irrigation, Farmers’ perceptions, Cropping scenario
