The Consulate General of Israel to South India, in collaboration with United Planters’Association of Southern India (UPASI), Jain Irrigation Systems, and NaanDanJain Irrigation, launches Smart IoT Irrigation Project in Tea Plantation in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.
Smart IoT Irrigation is an innovative Israeli technique that uses water judiciously and helps farmers achieve higher levels of crop yield with a minimal amount of water. The irrigation system has been installed on a 5” acre plot in United Nilgiri Tea Estates Company Pvt. Ltd. in Allada Valley of Ooty. This installation, which is a first of its kind to be used in tea plantations in India, is an attempt to introduce a robust, tailor"made irrigation solution. The system involves a combination of drip technology, automation, and fertigation, and aims to empower growers to produce higher yields of better-quality crops with fewer resources and was designed and implemented by Jain irrigation.
India, which is the second largest tea producer in the world, has been facing several challenges to sustain tea production over the years. Tea plantations continuously remain under threat owing to climate change and seasonal effects. Moreover, tea being extremely sensitive to climate change has its specific temperature and precipitation requirement. Untimely rainfall, low or no rainfall in crop season, prolonged dry spells, sometimes flood like situations, and increasing temperature are major challenges in almost all tea estates. Another important factor limiting tea growth is the injudicious management of nutrients. The soil in hilly areas where tea is grown is generally low in fertility; hence fertilizer application becomes one of the key management practices.
