Growth and Utilization of Irrigation Potential in Udalguri District: A Study of Major and Minor Irrigation Systems

To examine the growth trends, responsiveness and impact of Irrigation potential created (IPC) on irigation potential utilized (IPU) under the major and minor irrigation systems in Udalguri district of the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD), Assam. Data were collected from the Joint Director of Economics and Statistical of BTC, Directorate Economics and Statistics of Assam, books, journals and official reports for the period from 2007-08 to 2022-23. Three-year moving average (3 YMA), compound growth rate (CGR), log regression model and simple linear regression analysis were used. The findings reveal that both IPC and IPU recorded significant growth over the study period in both major and minor irrigation systems. The CGR of IPC and IPU under the major irrigation system was 9.80 percent and 13.41 percent, respectively, while under the minor irrigation system the growth rates were 7.07 per cent and 14.49 per cent, respectively. The elasticity analysis indicates that IPU is highly responsive to IPC, particularly in the minor irrigation system. Regression results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between IPC and IPU in both irrigation systems. The study concludes that expansion of irrigation infrastructure has positively influenced irrigation utilization and agricultural development in Udalguri. However, fluctuations and gaps between IPC and IPU still exist, highlighting the need for efficient irrigation management, proper maintenance and sustainable water resource utilization for long-term agricultural development.