Thoubal, Manipur - Solar Pumps Tool Thoubal, Manipur | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade in Humane Club

Thoubal, Manipur

In the district, horticulture crops occupy a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area, raising the economic viability of solar pumps here. 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 high level of farm mechanization in the district, implying a positive outlook towards progressive technologies amongst the farmers. The district has a relatively high proportion of small and marginal farmers. The district appears in the group of districts, which show (very) low vulnerability 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 Suitable
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 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 4,055 30
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 151,420 76
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.7 24

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) 5.79 37
Extent of feeder segregation
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 93% 100

Solar based water as a service

Suitable

Availability of groundwater within the safe limit, a relatively high proportion of unirrigated area, and a rather high concentration of small and marginal farmers in the district make the water-as-a-service model a potential way to promote solar-based irrigation. The model could help in improving irrigation equity, without requiring a farmer to bear an upfront cost to purchase a pump.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 86% 51
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 45% 37

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has groundwater availability within safe limit and a relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area. But, a rather low concentration of marginal farmers, and a comparatively low disbursement of institutional credit to them make it difficult to promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 33% 88
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 57% 40
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.7 24

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) 5.79 37
Extent of feeder segregation

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 45% 37

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 45% 37

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 0

Thoubal, Manipur
Summary
Number of operational holdings
32,610
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
1.1
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
4,055
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
30,428
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
16
21
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
33%
88
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,445
69
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
151,420
76
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
8.59
61
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
0.7
24
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
156
14
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.62
76