Production Benefits from Large-Scale-Canal Irrigation

This paper aims to demonstrate how National Accounts Statistics compiled by the CSO can be tapped by researchers to obtain nationwide insights into costs and returns aspects of irrigation activity, especially public canal irrigation. Two noteworthy research results are: (1) income benefits from canal waters prima facie were more than the supply cost of such waters throughout the period 1980-81 to 1992-93 and (2) the supply cost of canal irrigation tended to rise much faster than the income benefits, probably because hidden costs of corruption and sheer inefficiencies in canal development and administration soared in the above period of general erosion in ethics and public accountability.