Overall, water availability for irrigation in the district (based on ground water development and long-term trends of water level decline) is within the safe limit, enhancing long-term sustainability of solar pumps. The average monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households is relatively low for the district, suggesting poor purchasing capacity of the farmers here. The district has a relatively high penetration of banks in rural and semi-rural areas, facilitating higher access to institutional credit for farmers. The number of medium and long-term institutional loans disbursed in the district is comparatively small, suggesting poor availability of credit amongst farmers for potential investments. There is a comparatively low level of farm mechanization, possibly due to low awareness or poor outlook towards progressive technologies amongst the farmers here. The district appears in the group of districts, which are (very) highly vulnerable towards climate change, as per an index constructed by CRIDA.
Deployment Approaches
Approaches | Feasibility |
---|---|
Individually owned off-grid solar pumps | Limited Suitability |
Solarisation of feeders | Limited Suitability |
Solar based water as a service | Limited Suitability |
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps | Limited Suitability |
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps | Not suitable |
Individually owned off-grid solar pumps
Limited Suitability
The district has high crop revenue per holding, and ground water available within the safe limit. But, a relatively low disbursement of institutional credit and comparatively low concentration of diesel pump users make it difficult to promote the private ownership of solar pumps here.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps | 263 | 15 |
Water Availability Index | 0.78 | 66 |
Crop revenue per holding (INR) | 135,437 | 70 |
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) | 0 | 0 |
Solarisation of feeders
Limited Suitability
The cost of power supply for the respective DISCOM in the district is rather high. But, a relatively low extent of feeder segregation and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make it very difficult and less effective to solarise the feeders here.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) | 5.26 | 20 |
Extent of feeder segregation | 61% | 51 |
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps | 0% | 0 |
Solar based water as a service
Limited Suitability
Groundwater availability is within the safe limit in this district and the proportion of unirrigated area is high. However, a comparatively low concentration of small and marginal farmers indicates low demand for water as a service.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Water Availability Index | 0.78 | 66 |
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators | 83% | 45 |
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area | 88% | 79 |
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps
Limited Suitability
The district has a relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area, high concentration of marginal farmers and groundwater availability within the safe limit, but disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers is comparatively low. Greater support, either through subsidies or credit, would be required to enable marginal farmers to adopt solar pumps.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area | 10% | 64 |
Water Availability Index | 0.78 | 66 |
Proportion of marginal cultivators | 64% | 50 |
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) | 0 | 0 |
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps
Not suitable
The power supply fto agricultural consumers in the district is heavily subsidised and the groundwater availiability is within the safe limits. But, a relatively low extent of feeder segregation and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make it very difficult and less effective to solarise the individual grid-connected pumps here.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Water Availability Index | 0.78 | 66 |
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) | 5.26 | 20 |
Extent of feeder segregation | 61% | 51 |
Leveraging Solar Pumps to Promote Policy Objectives
If you are deploying solar pumps in this district then you can further these policy objectives.
Har Khet ko Pani
A relatively high proportion of the net sown area in the district is unirrigated, indicating high irrigation demand. Solar pumps can help improve access to underground irrigation as part of Har Khet ko Pani.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area | 88% | 79 |
Doubling Farmers’ Income – Crop Intensity
A relatively high proportion of the district’s net sown area is unirrigated. Lack of access to irrigation is one of the major barriers to growing crops beyond two conventional seasons, rabi and kharif. Ensuring irrigation access through solar power will help improve cropping intensity and move towards the aim of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area | 88% | 79 |
National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP)
The relatively low share of oilseeds and oil palm crops under gross sown area in the district makes it a suitable candidate for promoting NMOOP. Solar pumps could meet irrigation needs for these crops and help farmers diversify their yields beyond cereals.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Area under oilseeds as a share of total cropped area | 5 |
Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation – Farm Power Availability
There is a comparatively low level of farm mechanisation in the district and a relatively low proportion of electric pump users, indicating an opportunity to increase the exisiting level of mechanisation through solar based irrigation. Solar powered irrigation could be deployed under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation to improve farm power availability.
Parameter | Value | Percentile |
---|---|---|
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha) | 0.02 | 13 |
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps | 0% | 0 |