Latehar, Jharkhand - Solar Pumps Tool Latehar, Jharkhand | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Latehar, Jharkhand

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 number of medium and long-term institutional loans disbursed in the district is comparatively small, suggesting poor availability of credit amongst farmers for potential investments. There is a comparatively high level of farm mechanization in the district, implying a positive outlook towards progressive technologies amongst the farmers.

Deployment Approaches

Approaches Feasibility
Individually owned off-grid solar pumps Limited Suitability
Solarisation of feeders Limited Suitability
Solar based water as a service Limited Suitability
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps Limited Suitability
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps Limited suitability

Individually owned off-grid solar pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has ground water available within the safe limit, a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users, and high crop revenue per holding, but has a relatively low disbursement of institutional credit. Long-term bank loans should be promoted in the district to enable the adoption of capital-intensive farm technologies, including solar pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 27,091 61
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 225,699 87
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.5 22

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) 5.26 20
Extent of feeder segregation 61% 51
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 7% 48

Solar based water as a service

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability is within the safe limit in this district and the proportion of unirrigated area is high. However, a comparatively low concentration of small and marginal farmers indicates low demand for water as a service.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 77% 34
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 89% 81

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area, high concentration of marginal farmers and groundwater availability within the safe limit, but disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers is comparatively low. Greater support, either through subsidies or credit, would be required to enable marginal farmers to adopt solar pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 12% 65
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 64% 50
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.5 22

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) 5.26 20
Extent of feeder segregation 61% 51

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 89% 81

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 89% 81

Latehar, Jharkhand
Summary
Number of operational holdings
71,052
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
1.53
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
27,091
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
5,286
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
34
36
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
12%
65
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
976
25
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
225,699
87
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
6.19
41
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
0.5
22
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
225
17
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.81
85