Banas Kantha, Gujarat - Solar Pumps Tool Banas Kantha, Gujarat | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Banas Kantha, Gujarat

It has a relatively small proportion of its net sown area unirrigated, indicating poor irrigation demand. For average crop revenue per holding, the district appears among the top 25 percentile of districts, implying higher investment capacity of the farmers here. It has a relatively low penetration of banks in rural and semi-rural areas, impeding access to institutional credit for 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 Not Suitable
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps Not Suitable
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 a high concentration of diesel pump users. But, disbursement of institutional credit is low and ground water availability is below the safe limit, making it very difficult to promote the private ownership of solar pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 29,497 62
Water Availability Index 0.45 33
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 220,450 86
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 196.1 81

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) 4.49 7
Extent of feeder segregation 100% 69
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 24% 73

Solar based water as a service

Not Suitable

The district has a rather low concentration of small and marginal farmers and a relatively low proportion of unirrigated area. Moreover, groundwater availability is below the safe limit, making it extremely difficult to promote solar-based irrigation through the water-as-a-service model here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.45 33
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 55% 10
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 45% 37

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Not Suitable

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

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 8% 59
Water Availability Index 0.45 33
Proportion of marginal cultivators 25% 12
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 196.1 81

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

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 agriculture power subsidy is not very significant. Further with the groundwater availability below the safe limits, solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps may not be the right approach for the district

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.45 33
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.49 7
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.

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 0.41 76

Banas Kantha, Gujarat
Summary
Number of operational holdings
305,802
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
2.45
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
29,497
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
72,328
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
327
92
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
8%
59
Water Availability Index
0.45
33
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,447
69
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
220,450
86
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
4.71
23
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
196.1
81
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
6,995
95
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.11
32