Past Events

Smart Irrigation Summit 2023

Irrigation Association of India (IAI) and The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) organized the SMART Irrigation Summit on 21st December 2023. The Summit functioned as a hub for discussion among key stakeholders on fundamental approaches to the management of water resources in India and key strategies to address growing demand. The 1st SMART Irrigation Summit was attended by IAI members and colleagues from the Micro Irrigation Industry, Central and State Governments, Academia, Ag-Tech Companies, Automation Companies, Farmer Cluster Groups like FPOs, Agri-Businesses, Allied Industries, Consulting Firms, Training Institutions, and Media.

Shri Kailash Choudhary, Hon. Union Minister of State for Agriculture graced the Summit and recognized the commitment and extended continued support of both the Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Government of India to the development of irrigation and its efficient utilization.

With Micro-Irrigation holding an enormous potential to address Water Use Efficiencies in agriculture, the Summit provided industry, government, academia, and businesses an opportunity to discuss and deliberate on best practices in Water and Nutrient Management, Automation, and SMART Irrigation technologies and Government Visions and Strategies for Accelerating their adoption. The Key Strategies and Approaches identified will form an integral part of IAI Policy Advocacy Initiatives with the Government and Industry essential for accelerating Coverage and achieving National Potential.

Finance Ministry Pre-Budget Consultation with the Representatives of Agriculture & Agro Processing Sectors:

The Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, held her fourth Pre-Budget Consultations with different stakeholder Groups from Agriculture & Agro Processing sectors in connection with the forthcoming General Budget 2020-21. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Government of India – Ministry of Finance, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Department of Water Resources, Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture & Cooperation. The industry was represented by Industry bodies – CII, National Cooperative Union of India, NCDX, Irrigation Association of India, financial institutions like NABARD and companies like IIFCO etc.

The main areas of discussion during the meeting included agricultural marketing reforms, organic & Natural farming, Agricultural Commodity Markets & future trading, storage infrastructure for agricultural produce, animal husbandry, Agro processing industry, ideas for reducing food subsidy among others.

National Conference on Micro Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, GoI and Department of Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha:

A National Conference on Micro Irrigation was held at Hotel Mayfair, Bhubaneswar on 14th November 2019. It was Jointly organised by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmer Welfare, Govt. Of India & Department of Agriculture & Farmer Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha.

The Conference was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Government of India and State Departments of Agriculture & Horticulture, NCPAH, NRSC and NIC. Irrigation Association of India was represented by its President Shrikant Goenka. The Addl. Secretary, Dr Alka Bhargava & Joint Secretary Dr Namita Priyadarshee, Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmer Welfare, Govt. of India outlined the aim and objectives of the Conference. The Conference also focussed on sharing of experiences on micro irrigation of different crops and approaches on strengthening the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PMKSY).

Workshop on Sugarcane Challenges and future strategies for Doubling Farmer Income:

A workshop on challenges faced in the cultivation of Sugarcane was held at ICAR – Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research (IISR) Lucknow, UP on 14th November 2019. It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Farmer Welfare, Govt. Of India & Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Directorate of Sugarcane. Mr. Arun Deshmukh represented Irrigation Association of India and presented the successes of Micro Irrigation Systems (MIS) in Sugarcane and its role in “Doubling farmer income”.