Baleshwar, Odisha - Solar Pumps Tool Baleshwar, Odisha | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Baleshwar, Odisha

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. 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 Not Suitable
Solar based water as a service Suitable
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 ground water available within the safe limit and a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users. However, low crop revenue per holding, and the relatively low disbursement of institutional credit would make it difficult to promote the private ownership of solar pumps here without significant government subsidy support.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 27,493 61
Water Availability Index 0.92 84
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 24,455 15
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 66.2 62

Solarisation of feeders

Not Suitable

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps. But, a rather low cost of power supply for the respective DISCOM and a comparatively low extent of feeder segregation make it very difficult to solarise the feeders here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.43 6
Extent of feeder segregation
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 20% 69

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 0.92 84
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 97% 89
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 66% 55

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has groundwater availability within safe limit and a rather high concentration of marginal farmers. However, a comparatively low disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers and a relatively low proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area make it difficult to promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps here, unless government provide subsidy or loans support to marginal farmers for adoption of such pumps as well as promote more horticulture among such farmers.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 0% 4
Water Availability Index 0.92 84
Proportion of marginal cultivators 84% 83
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 66.2 62

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps and ground water available within the safe limits. But, a relatively low power subsidy for agriculture consumers and a comparatively low extent of feeder segregation make it very difficult to solarise individual grid-connected pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.92 84
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.43 6
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 66% 55

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 66% 55

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 0% 4

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 8

Baleshwar, Odisha
Summary
Number of operational holdings
285,723
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
0.76
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
27,493
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
56,844
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
141
73
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
0%
4
Water Availability Index
0.92
84
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,011
28
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
24,455
15
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
6.75
47
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
66.2
62
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
2,733
73
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.72
82