Hugli, West Bengal - Solar Pumps Tool Hugli, West Bengal | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade in Humane Club

Hugli, West Bengal

It has a relatively small proportion of its net sown area unirrigated, indicating poor irrigation demand. In the district, horticulture crops occupy a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area, raising the economic viability of solar pumps here. 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 Not 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 a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users, high crop revenue per holding, and a relatively high disbursement of institutional credit. However, groundwater availability is below the safe limit. Water conservation and efficient irrigation practices (such as drip irrigation) should be promoted to improve the viability of solar pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 131,946 90
Water Availability Index 0.63 50
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 117,638 66
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 37.6 55

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) 5.5 28
Extent of feeder segregation
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 31% 79

Solar based water as a service

Not Suitable

The concentration of small and marginal farmers is rather high in the district, but groundwater availability is below the safe limit. In addition, a relatively low proportion of unirrigated area makes it very difficult to promote solar-based irrigation through the water-as-a-service model here, unless it undercuts the price of water from existing sources, and improves water utilisation through promotion of micro-irrigation.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.63 50
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 98% 93
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 9% 12

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area under horticulture crops, a high concentration of marginal farmers and a comparatively high disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers, but groundwater availability is below the safe limit. Water conservation and efficient irrigation practices (such as drip irrigation) should be promoted to improve the viability of small capacity pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 32% 87
Water Availability Index 0.63 50
Proportion of marginal cultivators 86% 86
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 37.6 55

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps. But, a relatively low agriculture power subsidy, groundwater level below safe limits 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 0.63 50
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 5.5 28
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.

Doubling Farmers’ Income – Capital Investment

Given the high concentration of small and marginal farmers, and their relatively better access to institutional credit, the district is suitable for doubling farmers’ income through capital investment. Solar pumps could be one of the farm technologies to invest in for farmers, especially 1 HP or sub-HP pumps for marginal farmers.

Parameter Value Percentile
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 98% 93
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year to small and marginal cultivators (in INR Crore) 37.6 55

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 45% 81

Hugli, West Bengal
Summary
Number of operational holdings
345,770
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
0.61
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
131,946
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
106,025
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
19
25
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
32%
87
Water Availability Index
0.63
50
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,374
61
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
117,638
66
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
11.05
74
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
37.6
55
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
3,104
78
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.27
53