Porbandar, Gujarat

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 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	Suitable
Solar based water as a service	Limited Suitability
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP 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	30,731	64
Water Availability Index	0.83	71
Crop revenue per holding (INR)	107,064	60
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)	0	0

Solarisation of feeders

Suitable

Given the relatively high bullk power purchase rate for the respective DISCOM, a comparatively high extent of feeder segregation, and a high penetration of electric pumps, solarisation of the feeders would be a recommended way to promote solar-powered irrigation in the district. It would ensure the rapid and cost effective solarisation of irrigation power at a large scale.

Parameter	Value	Percentile
Power purchase rate for DISCOM (INR/kWh)	3.54	24
Extent of feeder segregation	100%	69
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps	11%	57

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	0.83	71
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators	66%	18
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area	53%	45

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within the safe limit. But, a rather low concentration of marginal farmers, a comparatively low disbursement of institutional credit to them and a relatively low proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area limit the demand for 1 HP and sub-HP pumps here.

Parameter	Value	Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area	3%	34
Water Availability Index	0.83	71
Proportion of marginal cultivators	27%	12
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)	0	0

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	53%	45

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	53%	45

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	3%	34

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.