Farmers pin hopes on pumpsets

Farmers in Tamil Nadu, especially those in the Cauvery delta region planning for the summer or kuruvai paddy crop, are keeping their fingers crossed. Not assured of Cauvery water supply, they hope their pumpsets will bail them out and there will be power to drive those pumpsets.

In the absence of adequate surface water availability, and the Cauvery crisis continuing, farmers will fall back on electricity to drive their pumpsets to irrigate their fields. The free power for agricultural pumpsets extended by the State government has made farmers depend on energised pumpsets for irrigation requirements across Tamil Nadu for several years.

There are a total of 19,207 registered motor pumpsets in Thanjavur’s old ayacut area encompassing parts of Budalur, Thirukkattupalli, Tiruvaiyaru, Papanasam, Ammapettai, Kumbakonam, Tiruvidaimarudur and Tirupanandal. In the new ayacut zone, farmers in parts of Soorakkottai and Kurungulam are depending on filter-point irrigation for their paddy, sugarcane and seasonal black gram crops.

“Pumpset filter-point irrigation is the lifeline for summer or kuruvai paddy cultivation in Thanjavur district. While the samba paddy crop is totally dependent on the mercy of the rain gods, or Karnataka, filter-point irrigation comes to our rescue during kuruvai,” says Swamimalai Vimalnathan, secretary, Cauvery Famers Protection Association.

Although Tangedco officials maintain that they are supplying 12 hours of three-phase supply in the delta areas, there are complaints over the duration and quality of power supplied. “We had a horrendous time six years ago when we got just three to four hours of three-phase supply a day. Later, the power situation eased and we farmers started getting at least six to 10 hours three-phase supply a day. While much of the delta is supposed to get 12 hours of assured three-phase power supply, there are villages where it is still a dream,” observes V. Jeevakumar of the Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Thozhilalar Sangam.

A cross-section of the farmers says that the Tangedco must comprehensively address the power distribution aspect at the sector level so that transmission losses and pilferage are prevented to a great extent. That way, quality power could be made available to farmers.

Solar power

Farmers raising horticulture and cash crops seem to be opting for solar-powered pumps or diesel pumps to irrigate crops.

“Use of solar pumps in the farming sector is minimum in the State,” says Karthik Velusamy, vice-president of Southern India Engineering Manufacturers Association. Farmers should directly get subsidy from the Central government so they can use solar energy more, he says. A 5 HP to 7.5 HP pumpset will require a 4.8 KW solar energy system. This is expensive for the farmers, he said.

(Reporting by L. Renganathan, M. Soundariya Preetha and K. Raju)