‘Per Drop More Crop’ Transforms Irrigation Access Across 115 Lakh Hectares

The Central government's Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) has brought more than 115 lakh hectares under micro‑irrigation as of July 2026 and has benefitted 12.30 lakh farmers, around 20 per cent of them women, an official factsheet said on Saturday.

The centrally sponsored scheme, implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana since 2022‑23, provides financial assistance for drip and sprinkler systems for up to five hectares per beneficiary.

"Independent studies report higher yields, significant water savings, lower cultivation costs, and increased farmers' incomes. PDMC is strengthening resource-efficient, sustainable agriculture by using every drop of water efficiently," the statement noted.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Rajasthan recorded the highest areas covered by micro-irrigation under PDMC.

Under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme, Small and marginal farmers receive 55 per cent financial assistance or subsidy on the installation costs of micro-irrigation systems, and other farmers receive 45 per cent financial assistance.

Central assistance of Rs 8,123.24 crore has been released in the last three years, the factsheet said.

During 2025-26, a total of Rs 8,957.72 crore has been released/sanctioned for PM-RKVY, which includes Rs 3,226.36 crore specifically dedicated to the PDMC scheme.

Some state governments also provide additional subsidies from their own budgets. Farmers can receive assistance again for the same land after seven years.

The scheme also promotes fertigation to improve nutrient application efficiency and prioritises water-scarce and groundwater-stressed regions. Fertigation is the process of applying fertilisers with irrigation water directly to the region where most of the plant’s roots develop.

More than 80 per cent of India's available water resources are used for agricultural irrigation. However, only about 50 per cent of the net sown area has irrigation facilities and hence improving water use is a national priority, the statement said.

Micro irrigation is an important solution for improving water use efficiency in agriculture as it delivers water directly to crops with minimum losses.