ICAR- KVK- Ranga Reddy, CRIDA and ATARI Hyderabad, Zone-X in coordination with GIZ India has jointly organized the one-day awareness raising workshop for farmers on ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan’ PM KUSUM on 10th June 2024 at KVK Farm Hayathnagar,Hyderabad on 10 June 2024. The objective of this workshop was to sensitize farmers about the potential of Agriculture Photo Voltaic (AgriPV) under PM KUSUM Component A and to Identify farmers who need handholding support under this scheme including co-locating RE solutions with agriculture.
The dignitaries for the workshop are Dr. Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICAR, ATARI, Hyderabad
Dr. M. Srinivasa Rao, Director i/c, ICAR-CRIDA,Dr. D. K. Singh, Principal Scientist, WTC & Professor, DAE, IARI, New Delhi,Dr. Chandrakant M.H., Senior Scientist cum Head, KVK, Ranga Reddy and Dr. Ranjit Jadhav, Technical Advisor, GIZ India.
Dr. Chandrakant M.H., Senior Scientist cum Head, KVK, Ranga Reddy, welcomed the guests and briefed the participants about Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Component-A.
Dr. Shaik N. Meera highlighted the Component A of PM-KUSUM which represents a comprehensive effort by the Indian government to promote solar energy adoption in the agriculture sector. He emphasized that understanding the insights from farmers is crucial for the success of this initiative. He stressed to have efective tripartite collaborations among farmers, the government, and financial institutions for the successful adoption of solar energy production at the farmer level.
Dr. M. Srinivasa Rao, Director in charge of ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad, emphasized several critical factors for establishing a unit. These include site selection, unit cost, cost of production, maintenance cost of the unit, net returns, and the sustainability of the establishment. He also urged the authorities to raise awareness among farmers about these considerations
Dr. D. K. Singh, Principal Scientist, WTC & Professor, DAE, IARI, New Delhi revealed that it is time to think about usage of renewable energy like solar and wind power in the agriculture sector to reduce the cost of cultivation. He argued the farmers should take the advantage of PM KUSUM Component A, to get additional income for agriculture from solar power from the same field.
A team of experts from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), GIZ India, and Renkube participated in plenary sessions, group discussions, and interaction sessions with farmers, NGOs, and farmer groups. They noted key points and feedback from all stakeholders. Forty farmers from Ranga Reddy districts of Telangana state attended the workshop and received the detailed information and process of PM KUSUM component A.
In the workshop, farmers also gave feedback and valuable suggestions to be incorporated into the guidelines of the PM KUSUM Scheme. The in-house seminar was followed by a site visit to PJTSAU Telangana where Agri Innovation Hub, PJTSAU Telangana & Renkube install the 10 KV Agri PV system.
Staff involved:
