Anand, Gujarat - Solar Pumps Tool Anand, Gujarat | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Anand, Gujarat

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. The district has a relatively high penetration of banks in rural and semi-rural areas, facilitating higher access to institutional credit for 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 Suitable
Solarisation of feeders Limited Suitability
Solar based water as a service Limited Suitability
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps Suitable
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps Limited suitability

Individually owned off-grid solar pumps

Suitable

Availability of groundwater within the safe limit, a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users, a relatively high crop revenue per holding, and institutional credit disbursed in relatively large amounts in the district make it a suitable candidate for the promotion of solar-based irrigation through the private ownership of solar pumps. Private ownership provides easy and reliable access to irrigation for farmers.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 58,644 78
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 188,944 83
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 11.6 39

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) 5.28 24
Extent of feeder segregation 100% 69
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 7% 48

Solar based water as a service

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within safe limit and the concentration of small and marginal farmers is comparatively high, but the proportion of unirrigated area is relatively low. A solar-based water service will have to compete with existing sources of irrigation.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 89% 59
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 17% 19

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Suitable

1 HP and sub-HP pumps could help marginal farmers meet their needs in this district. A relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area, a rather high concentration of marginal farmers, a comparatively high disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers, and the availability of groundwater within the safe limit would drive the success of such small-sized pumps in the district. Such small pumps could also be put to use for lift irrigation, provided there is access to surface water.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 21% 80
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 69% 58
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 11.6 39

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) 5.28 24
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.

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 32

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) 0.15 40
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 7% 48

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 0.27 57

Anand, Gujarat
Summary
Number of operational holdings
216,077
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
0.97
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
58,644
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
14,916
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
35
37
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
21%
80
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,436
67
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
188,944
83
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
13.65
83
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
11.6
39
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
1,265
49
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.15
40