Farm Electricity (img: Freepik)

Updated on Feb 10, at 1.38 p.m.

In a reply to a query raised in the state assembly, the government stated that the provision of daytime electricity to the farmers will take a little longer, as this project will be implemented in December this year.

Electricity supply during the day has not been initiated in 1,270 sub-stations across Gujarat.

As the central government introduced the ‘Kisan Suryoday Yojana’ to provide electricity for irrigation during the day instead of at night, hopes were running high among the state’s farmers.

However, after more than three years of its introduction, there has been no such provision for the farmers in Gujarat.

The state government has been claiming to have provided the farmers with eight hours of electricity. But this creates more trouble than it resolves, as the farmers have to stay up at night to complete their irrigation works.

Carrying out farming during the night poses a different set of challenges, as the farmers are always under the threat of roaming predators such as leopards.

On top of that, either during the time of sowing or cultivating, if sufficient electricity isn’t provided, it could directly harm the crops.

Updated on Feb 7, at 7.37 p.m.

Falling short of their election promise of round-the-clock electricity for farmers in Gujarat, the BJP-led state government has accepted their inadequacy in the state assembly.

Over complaints arising of the government being unable to provide more than 8 hours of electricity, it was stated in the assembly proceedings that the government provided 10 hours of electricity from Sept 1 to 21, 2023, including the areas cultivating jeeru (cumin), due to scarce rainfall.

Alongside, the government said that it has been providing 8 hours of electricity to the farmers. However, it was remarked that there is no such provision for 15 hours of electricity in the state.

With this statement, the ‘24 hours of electricity supply’ promise made during the 2022 assembly elections is to be considered further than the perceivable future because of the state government’s inefficiency.

Electricity outages before or after sowing the seeds pose multiple troubles for the farmers.

Farmers demand a sufficient supply of electricity to carry out timely agriculture in the state.

How Gujarat fulfils its electricity requirements?

Urbanisation and industrialisation have resulted in an increased electricity demand, which is fulfilled by the government buying electricity from private companies.

Presenting a reason for this in the state assembly, energy minister Kanu Desai stated that Gujarat’s electricity demand over the years has increased from 7,743 megawatts (MW) in 2002 to 24,455 MW in 2023.

Desai added that Gujarat’s electricity consumption per head was 953 units in 2003, which has spiked to 2,402 in 2023.

Gujarat’s electricity requirement from 2017 to 2023 has increased by 43.5%, while the state’s electricity consumption has surged by 41.28% during this tenure.

The collective capacity of renewable electricity in the state stands at 21,977 MW, which includes wind electricity production at 11,224 MW and solar electricity production at 10,549 MW, the second highest in the country.

Renewable electricity consists of 49% of the state’s total electricity production.

5 lakh consumers in Gujarat have installed solar rooftops with a capacity of 2,025 MW.

To add to this production, the state government has invited Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for 9,500 MW of renewable electricity, along with a tender for 2,500 MW of the same.

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