Sri Vijaya Puram, October 12: Farmer groups and communities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands can seek government assistance to build water-harvesting structures for horticultural irrigation, with the High Value Agriculture Development Agency (HVADA) implementing a scheme that offers subsidies of up to 75% of eligible costs during 2026-27.
The scheme, titled “Creation of Water Resources”, operates under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), part of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). It supports the construction of community tanks, farm ponds and reservoirs fitted with plastic film, reinforced cement concrete (RCC) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lining to conserve water for irrigation during critical periods for horticultural crops.
Under the scheme, assistance is available for structures with a storage capacity of up to 30,000 cubic metres, designed to irrigate a command area of 10 hectares. Smaller structures qualify for proportionate assistance based on the area they serve.
The prescribed assistance rate is 75%, with lined structures required to use plastic film of at least 500 microns or RCC/HDPE lining. The water resources must be owned and managed by a community or farmer group, which will also be responsible for maintaining the facility.
The scheme provides assistance of ₹30 lakh per unit, calculated at ₹100 per cubic metre, for structures with a maximum capacity of 30,000 cubic metres in the islands. The cost of non-lined ponds and tanks, permitted only in black cotton soils, will be 30% lower.
For 2026-27, the physical target is 25 community water-harvesting structures, with a reported financial allocation of ₹26.88 lakh. The scheme identifies the construction of on-farm community tanks, ponds and reservoirs with plastic or RCC lining as the component covered under this target.
Eligible communities and farmer groups with suitable land for a shared water source can apply if they intend to use the facility for horticultural crops. Applicants can approach the Agriculture Department’s zonal officers or extension staff in their respective jurisdictions to obtain application forms and guidance on accessing the subsidy.
For additional information, applicants can contact HVADA at the Directorate of Agriculture.
The scheme places responsibility for upkeep on the beneficiary community or farmer group, making collective ownership and maintenance part of the arrangement for accessing assistance.
