Surendranagar, Gujarat - Solar Pumps Tool Surendranagar, Gujarat | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade in Humane Club

Surendranagar, Gujarat

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. For average crop revenue per holding, the district appears among the top 25 percentile of districts, implying higher investment capacity of the farmers here. There is a comparatively low level of farm mechanization, possibly due to low awareness or poor outlook towards progressive technologies amongst the farmers here. It has a relatively low proportion of small and marginal farmers. 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 Limited suitability

Individually owned off-grid solar pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has ground water available within the safe limit, a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users, and high crop revenue per holding, but has a relatively low disbursement of institutional credit. Long-term bank loans should be promoted in the district to enable the adoption of capital-intensive farm technologies, including solar pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 29,308 62
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 214,986 86
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 139.1 74

Solarisation of feeders

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps and a comparatively high extent of feeder segregation but its DISCOM incurs a relatively low cost for supplying power. As the power purchase rate of the DISCOM increases going forward, solarisation of the feeders may become economically viable in the district.

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.51 8
Extent of feeder segregation 100% 69
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 24% 73

Solar based water as a service

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within the safe limit. But, a rather low concentration of small and marginal farmers and a relatively low proportion of unirrigated area make it difficult to promote solar-based irrigation through the water-as-a-service model here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 44% 9
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 81% 71

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within the safe limit. But, a rather low concentration of marginal farmers, a comparatively low disbursement of institutional credit to them and a relatively low proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area limit the demand for 1 HP and sub-HP pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 3% 34
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 14% 7
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 139.1 74

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Limited suitability

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps, ground water available within the safe limits and a comparatively high extent of feeder segregation. But the relatively low power subsidy for agriculural consumers make solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps an inefficient way of enhancing solar pumps in the district.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.51 8
Extent of feeder segregation 100% 69

Leveraging Solar Pumps to Promote Policy Objectives

If you are deploying solar pumps in this district then you can further these policy objectives.

Doubling Farmers’ Income – Crop Diversification

In the district, horticulture crops occupy a relatively low proportion of gross cropped area, indicating an opportunity for growing more high value non-staple crops. Solar-powered irrigation could be an alternative source of reliable irrigation, making it easier to achieve crop diversification and enhance farmers’ incomes.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 3% 34

Per Drop More Crop

In the district, crops suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation occupy a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area, making it easy to adopt such high precision irrigation methods. Solar pumps, along with other efficient and precise water application devices, could be deployed under Per Drop More Crop to promote efficient irrigation.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under crops suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation as a share of total cropped area 0.76 95

Surendranagar, Gujarat
Summary
Number of operational holdings
226,746
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
3.13
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
29,308
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
54,899
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
562
97
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
3%
34
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,452
69
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
214,986
86
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
6.44
43
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
139.1
74
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
1,843
59
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.07
24