Udalguri, Assam - Solar Pumps Tool Udalguri, Assam | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Udalguri, Assam

In the district, a relatively large proportion of the net sown area is unirrigated, indicating high 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. It has a relatively low penetration of banks in rural and semi-rural areas, impeding 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 has a relatively high proportion of small and marginal farmers.

Deployment Approaches

Approaches Feasibility
Individually owned off-grid solar pumps Limited Suitability
Solarisation of feeders Not Suitable
Solar based water as a service 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 ground water available within the safe limit. But, a comparatively low concentration of diesel pump users, low crop revenue per holding, and a relatively low disbursement of institutional credit make it very difficult to promote the private ownership of solar pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 665 17
Water Availability Index 1 100
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 52,607 35
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.1 20

Solarisation of feeders

Not Suitable

The district has a relatively high extent of feeder segregation. But, a rather low cost of power supply for the respective DISCOM and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make solarisation of the feeders an economically difficult and inefficient way to enhance solar for irrigation in the district.

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 6.53 75
Extent of feeder segregation 100% 69
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 0% 0

Solar based water as a service

Suitable

Availability of groundwater within the safe limit, a relatively high proportion of unirrigated area, and a rather high concentration of small and marginal farmers in the district make the water-as-a-service model a potential way to promote solar-based irrigation. The model could help in improving irrigation equity, without requiring a farmer to bear an upfront cost to purchase a pump.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 87% 53
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 88% 79

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 31% 87
Water Availability Index 1 100
Proportion of marginal cultivators 71% 62
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 0.1 20

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

The district has a relatively high extent of feeder segregation and has ground water available within the safe limits. But, a relatively low power subsidy for agricultural consumers and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps an economically difficult and inefficient way to enhance solar for irrigation in the district.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 1 100
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 6.53 75
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.

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 88% 79

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 88% 79

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 51

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) 0.01 9
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 36% 70

Udalguri, Assam
Summary
Number of operational holdings
101,447
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
0.96
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
665
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
52
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
85
60
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
31%
87
Water Availability Index
1
100
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,106
40
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
52,607
35
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
4.34
18
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
0.1
20
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
219
16
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.01
9