Use Of Water Resource For Agricultural Production In North-East India

Water is one of the most vital natural resources used not only for direct consumption purposes but also as an input in the process of production in different sectors of the economy of which agriculture is the most important. One of the salient characteristics of water is that in addition to the fact of its being an indispensable input it works as an augmenting input in agriculture when it is combined with other inputs of production such as improved seeds (HYV) and fertilizer. Thus it has a tremendous role to play in agriculture in increasing both production and productivity. It helps in bringing wasteland under crops, in adopting multiple cropping practices and in raising greater quantities of the same crop on the same plot. Most importantly, irrigation generates an element of stability in agriculture by partly freeing it from the vagaries of monsoon. The present work in this regard is an attempt to study the role and use of water in the agricultural sector in the North Eastern States.