Solar power-run irrigation gives barren land eye soothing greenery
Poor farmers of Shikarpur village in Panchagarh cultivated paddy, maize, groundnut and chilli with low-cost irrigation
Shikarpur village in Boda upazila of Panchangarh, which was almost barren only a year ago, is now full of greenery due to introduction of a solar power-run inrrigation project there. Inset, a pump drawing water for irrigation under the project.Photo: STAR
Once barren lands on the Karotoa River at Shikarpur village in Boda upazila under Panchagarh district are now full of greenery, thanks to the introduction of a solar power-run irrigation project there. Under the project, farmers, mostly small and marginal ones and sharecroppers, have cultivated Irri-boro on about 50 bighas (a bigha = .3306 acre) of land, maize on 20 bighas and groundnut on 2.5 bighas and chilli on 3 bighas of land. They are eyeing change of lot by cultivating robi crops with low cost irrigation by solar power-run pumps while farmers of adjacent villages, troubled with frequent power outages and high production cost due to price hike of diesel, are showing interest to use the system. During this correspondent's recent visit to the project area, Nazrul Islam, 48, of Shikarpur village, said, "I have cultivated boro on seven bigha of land taking irrigation facilities from the project. The plants are growing well with smooth irrigation that also costs lower than that by diesel-run pump. Mofizul Islam, 40, said he cultivated boro on one bigha of land in this season and hope to get 20 maunds of paddy there. "Tk 4200-4500 is needed for irrigation by using diesel-run shallow pump for each bigha of land while I will pay only Tk 2,500 for solar irrigation," he said. Nur Nobi, 35, who cultivated Irri-boro on 10-bigha of land along the river first ever in his life, said, "I hope good yield as the plants are growing well. Now we do not have to worry about frequent power-cuts or increasing diesel price as we have been getting irrigation with the help of the solar project as per requirement of our land." President of Shikarpur and Jagannathpara Adarsha Krishak Samity (farmers' association) Abdur Rahman said the association and Mutual Trust Bank are jointly conducting the project. Tk 2,500 is to be paid for each bigha of land as irrigation charge for a crop season and Tk 5,000 for three crop seasons (Tk 2500 for Irri-boro, Tk 1,500 for aman and Tk 1,000 for vegetables) over the year. "Mutual Trust Bank Ltd arranged setting up three solar power plants at different points of the village for irrigating farmlands under the project involving Tk 90 lakh. After 10 years it will be adjusted and then the farmers' association alone will control the project," Senior Vice President of the bank Mohammad Iqbal, also head of its SME, told this correspondent over cell phone. "The bank has also provided Tk 1 crore as crop loan to 60 farmers of the association. Very shortly we will help farmers to make dairy farms, set up bio-gas plants and produce electricity from it," he said. Ariful Islam, senior officer (Sales and Marketing) of Renewable Energy Ltd, sister concern of Rahimafrooz Group, told this correspondent over cell phone that they set up the three solar power plants under the project -- two plants comprise 32 solar panels and the other comprise 48 solar panels. Each panel contains 270 Watt Peak (WP). The 32-solar panel plant can produce 8,640 WP of electricity in a day which is able to run one single 9-horse power submersible pump. With capacity to lift out eight lakh litres of water from dawn to dusk, it is enough to irrigate 80-100 bighas of land, he said. Farmers can also set up small solar plants individually, he added. "I hope good yield of crop from those fields," Boda Upazila Agriculture Officer Enamul Haque said after visiting the Irri-boro fields under the solar project at Shikarpur village.
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