A Study on Irrigation and Agricultural Productivity in Odisha

Abstract

Irrigation is a critical component in the agricultural production as rainfall is inadequate, uncertain and uneven in an agrarian state like Odisha. The intensity of irrigation is an important determinant of the cropping pattern and agricultural productivity. The present paper studies the impact of irrigation on agricultural productivity in Odisha. The 30 districts of the state are grouped on the basis of their irrigation intensity and agricultural productivity. For the purpose Kendall’s Ranking Coefficient method and Skewed distribution are used. It is found that the district of Puri tops the list with an irrigation intensity of 80.79 followed by Bhadrak district with 71.91. The Balasore district is at the third position (66.85) while the district of Bolangir has lowest intensity value i.e 20.64. Similarly, considering the agricultural productivity, it is observed that Kendrapada district is at the top with coefficient value of 25.14 followed by Boudh and Sambalpur with coefficient of (19.42) each. The relationship between irrigation intensity and agricultural productivity establishes that irrigation plays a vital role in enhancing the productivity. Sincere involvement of government, policy makers, planners, farmers and NGOs can achieve the goal of self sufficiency in agricultural production through promotion of irrigation.