Electrical energy shortage is a major problem the country faces today. An estimate by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) shows that the average shortage of power during the period April 2011 to February 2012 was as high as 71,200 million units, which is about 8 per cent less than the requirement.

This demand-supply gap is expected to rise further during the next three-four summer months.

The shortage of power supply is affecting the growth of agriculture, where electrical power is used to operate pumpsets to lift water from wells and other sources for irrigation.

Reports from different parts of the country suggest that high-value crops such as sugarcane, banana, cotton, paddy, etc, have dried up due to irregular supply of irrigation water as a result of power shortage. How to protect the standing crops is the biggest question haunting farmers today.

Ground water usage

Why is electrical power important for agriculture? The face of Indian agriculture has been changing swiftly since the Green Revolution. Farmers have started following intensive agriculture where assured irrigation becomes an essential factor.

The reliance on conventional irrigation sources such as tanks and canals has reduced, while the importance of ground water has increased substantially.

With rural electrification, the number of pumpsets energised in the country increased to about 18 million which accounted for over 90 per cent of India's total irrigation pumpsets as of January 2012.

The rapid expansion of energisation of pumpsets has significantly altered the irrigation scenario. During the sixties, the share of ground water irrigation in India's total irrigated area was only about 29 per cent, but it has increased to over 62 per cent today.........Read More

Source: Business Line