Is drip irrigation worth the money, how do I think about the payback?

Think about drip ROI in two parts: what you save and what you gain. On savings, drip typically cuts water use sharply versus flood, reduces fertiliser through fertigation, and lowers weeding and irrigation labour because only the root zone is wet. On gains, even fertigated water often lifts yield and improves quality and uniformity, which can fetch a better price. Against that you have your own share of the system cost after the PMKSY subsidy, which for small and marginal farmers often leaves a modest out of pocket figure since the government share is commonly around 45 to 55 percent, plus minor annual maintenance. For many row and vegetable crops farmers report the system pays for itself within a couple of crop cycles, but the honest answer is it depends on your crop value, your current water and labour cost, and how well you run the system. A high value vegetable on a water short farm pays back fastest; a low value crop with cheap canal water pays back slowly. Run your own simple sum: subsidised cost to you, minus yearly water, fertiliser, labour savings, plus any yield or price gain. Confirm the current subsidy rate and your out of pocket share on the state micro irrigation portal so your sum is realistic.