Farmers encouraged to use solar power for irrigation

The agricultural sector is being faced with problems from the power and water fronts. While the duration of electricity supply is getting shortened and becoming uncertain, the groundwater level is depleting fast.

The farmers are finding it increasingly difficult even to get the normal crop yield, leave alone increasing productivity in any given crop season.

The government has thought it appropriate to harness the new and renewable source of energy, particularly the solar energy which has been available in abundance.

District Collector V. Sampath told The Hindu that the government had launched a scheme to promote the use of solar power for running pump sets for irrigation.

The Collector said it would require just 250 sq.ft of land for installation of the system that would run 5-horse power capacity pump sets to draw water from both the open wells and the borewells.

He said the government was giving 80 per cent grant for its installation which would be shared by the National Agricultural Development Programme (50 per cent) and the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (30 per cent). The remaining 20 per cent ought to be borne by farmers.

The Collector also added that the farmers need not have to worry about the maintenance as the company that installed the system would take care for five years. The government had authorised four private agencies for installing the solar system.

Mr. Sampath said for the current year the government had sanctioned a total of 94 such systems for the district. Interested farmers could approach the Assistant Director (Agriculture) for getting the system installed on their farms.