Lahul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh - Solar Pumps Tool Lahul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Lahul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh

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. 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. The average monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households is relatively high for the district, suggesting higher purchasing capacity of the farmers here. 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. There is a comparatively low level of farm mechanization, possibly due to low awareness or poor outlook towards progressive technologies amongst the farmers here. 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 Limited Suitability
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 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 0 0
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 307,205 92
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 8.4 36

Solarisation of feeders

Not Suitable

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

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 5.22 18
Extent of feeder segregation
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 0% 0

Solar based water as a service

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within the safe limit. But, a rather low concentration of small and marginal farmers and a relatively low proportion of unirrigated area make it difficult to promote solar-based irrigation through the water-as-a-service model here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 73% 28
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 0% 0

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area, groundwater availability within the safe limit and a comparatively high disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers. But, the proportion of marginal farmers is rather low in the district, suggesting low demand for small-sized pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 64% 96
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 43% 25
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 8.4 36

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

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

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 5.22 18
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.

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 10

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) 0.05 21
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 0% 0

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 65% 93

Lahul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
Summary
Number of operational holdings
4,252
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
1.55
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
0
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
16
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
0
0
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
64%
96
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,618
78
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
307,205
92
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
37.63
97
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
8.4
36
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
242
18
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.05
21