Farmers to get Rs 3.670 bn solar systems for drip irrigation

MULTAN: The Punjab government has decided to promote solar energy systems in the agriculture sector to overcome energy shortage for water management in agriculture fields.

A spokesperson of the Punjab Agriculture Department told The News on Monday that the department is providing solar systems to farmers at a cost of Rs 3.670 billion. The spokesperson maintained that under the scheme, solar systems were being provided to the farmers for running drip irrigation systems on an area of 20,000 acres on 50 percent subsidy.

In Pakistan, drip irrigation systems (High Efficiency Irrigation Systems) can be successfully operated with the help of solar systems as sunlight is available in the country for about eight hours daily, he said.

The spokesman said the use of diesel was causing pollution and the solar system would not only help in mitigating climate change but it would also significantly reduce the production cost of the farmers involved in agricultural interventions and also save energy.

After the transfer of modern irrigation systems to the solar system, farmers can easily provide water to their crops as per their requirement which will help in achieving production targets. In this regard, farmers can approach the local offices of the Department of Irrigation Reforms for the transfer of modern irrigation systems to the solar system.