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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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etween I to 2 ha. are to arrange <strong>for</strong> 37.5 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the cost <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> MCS installati<strong>on</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> (iv) those below I ha. are to give 35.5 per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the costl 4 .<br />

Since <strong>farm</strong>ers' c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> was minimal, MCS divisi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the KIP took<br />

up the work expeditiously <strong>and</strong> completed it much ahead <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the completi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

entire canal network necessary to release water through the MCS.<br />

The<br />

c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal network was delayed <strong>for</strong> more than a decade. This<br />

mismatch between the c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal network <strong>and</strong> the <strong>on</strong>-<strong>farm</strong> water<br />

distributi<strong>on</strong> system has made the investment in MCS infructuous or unproductive<br />

sunk capital. Furthermore, the material used to lay the pipes <strong>and</strong> associated<br />

structures have been completely spoiled <strong>and</strong> become useless. This has resulted in<br />

several changes in l<strong>and</strong> use pattern in the comm<strong>and</strong> area. For instance, some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

the area localised <strong>for</strong> paddy has been <strong>for</strong>cefully c<strong>on</strong>verted into rubber<br />

plantati<strong>on</strong>s 15 The entry <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> rubber plantati<strong>on</strong>s particularly in the area comm<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

by the right bank canaL has, there<strong>for</strong>e, changed the entire scenario <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water<br />

distributi<strong>on</strong> system in the Kallada comm<strong>and</strong> area. Rubber is mostly c<strong>on</strong>sidered as<br />

a rainfed crop. The <strong>farm</strong>ers did not feel the need <strong>for</strong> OFD works to promote<br />

efficient water management, because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the existence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> MCS. C<strong>on</strong>sequently, no<br />

private investment took place. Some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the necessary accessories like rubber<br />

hoses <strong>for</strong> taking water from the hydrants were also given to the <strong>farm</strong>ers free <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

I~ Surprisingly, there was no justificati<strong>on</strong> as regards fixing such norm <strong>for</strong> recovering the<br />

cost <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> installati<strong>on</strong> from the <strong>farm</strong>cr\. Moreover, based <strong>on</strong> the operati<strong>on</strong>al holdings<br />

structure in the comm<strong>and</strong> area, majority <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <strong>farm</strong>ers would have been placed in the<br />

lower strata <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> cost recovery.<br />

IS In most cases, the switch over from paddy to rubber has been caused by the canopy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

rubber plantati<strong>on</strong>s enveloping thc low-lying paddy areas <strong>and</strong> thus, it <strong>for</strong>ms a case <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

<strong>for</strong>ced c<strong>on</strong>versi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

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