Solar technology with 60 to 70% subsidy from state government turns boon for farmers in North Dinajpur

The solar panels and pumps are ready to become ‘dream machines’ for the farmers of North Dinajpur. Be it Jaifuddin Ahmed, Jharna Khatun of Itahar block; Nasim Rabbani of Matikunda or Pradipta Karmakar of Karandighi, solar technology with 60 to 70 per cent subsidies from the state government has emerged as the new silver lining for all who have turned to this green energy under the Financial Support Scheme For Farm Mechanisation (FSSM) scheme of the West Bengal Government. Jaifuddin Ahmed, a farmer from Itahar said: “After installation of solar pumps and panels, I am now supplying water for irrigation to neighbouring agricultural fields. As it needs no electricity, it is much cheaper.”

Naseem Rabbani said that with the high cost of irrigation using electricity, solar pumps are becoming popular day by day. “It doesn’t only help irrigate my land, it also gives me good earnings by supplying water to others,” he said.

Though solar alternatives have been around for quite some time, it was not so popular in the northern districts of Bengal even a few years ago.

The Government of West Bengal is encouraging farmers to use solar technology for cultivation and irrigation nowadays. Huge financial support is being given to the farmers willing to install solar power panels in agricultural fields for irrigation.

As a result, the situation has started to change in the past few years. The state government agriculture department has introduced FSSM.

Under this scheme subsidies between 60 to 70 per cent of the total project cost is offered to the farmers for installation of solar pumps for cultivation.

Shafiq ul Islam, Assistant Director of Agriculture, North Dinajpur told Millennium Post that farmers of the district are slowly turning to solar pumps after the introduction of FSSM by the state agriculture department.

He said: “We hope the numbers will increase rapidly in forthcoming years. A one time investment of approximately Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh is enough for installation of solar pump capable of supplying irrigation water for a medium to large area.”