‘Shifting Maharashtra’s agri sector fully to solar power will require Rs 65,000 crore’

According to an energy department official, “The expenditure estimated for switching the agriculture sector from thermal to solar power is Rs 65,000 to Rs 70,000 crore.” Most of the expenditure is towards installing solar infrastructure. Apart from that, the state government will have to set aside a budget for land leasing and compensation for farmers for solar plants.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared the shift to solar power in a bid to resolve this crisis. If the entire agriculture sector is covered under solar power, it will not only ensure sustained energy supply to farmers during the day, but it will also make electricity less costly.

Although the Maharashtra government has started with the planning and other processes, the project execution will take time. Therefore, “solar-power driven agriculture in Maharashtra, even if it is fast-tracked, is unlikely before 2025,” a senior officer in the energy department revealed. He also indicated that by 2024, 30 per cent of farming can be done on solar power.

While farmers’ organisations are eagerly awaiting solar-driven farming, the administration’s ability to keep pace with the challenging timeline must also be factored in.

In the agriculture sector, electricity is highly subsidised. The state government’s annual subsidy for the sector adds up to Rs 10,000 crore. Accumulated arrears in the power sector have now rose to Rs 40,000 crore.

“If farmers get uninterrupted power supply for farming for 12 hours a day, they will save a lot of time and effort,” an official said. Secondly, it is believed solar power will facilitate them to access power whenever they require it. As solar power will be economical once implemented, electricity bill recovery from farmers will improve drastically, officials in the power department pointed out.

Instead of the current Rs 7.40 per unit, solar power will cost Rs 3.50 per unit. It is believed the lower power rates will also help the government, which has to set aside Rs 10,000 crore through cross-subsidies for the sector.

Of the 1.56 crore farmers in Maharashtra, almost 78 per cent – especially in Marathwada and Vidarbha – fall under the small and marginal farmer category.