Breaking the mould: understanding the practicality of solar water pumps among small tea planters in a South Asian State of India

Abstract

The South Asian region is the largest producer of tea in the entire world. Forming a core part of this industry, the state of Assam, located in India, is known to be the largest contiguous tea-growing area in the world. With respect to tea production in this state, the small tea grower (STG) community in Assam contributes nearly half to the total production, making them a significant stakeholder in the burgeoning tea industry. Notably, diesel pumps have been long-favored for water pumping in tea plantations. Nonetheless, a complex mix-match of factors such as global warming, unreliability of monsoon rains and unavailability of adequate infrastructure has made them vulnerable to universal winds of change. This study makes an effort to identify the prospects of using solar pumps for irrigation, assess the constraints faced by STGs with regard to irrigation facilities and discuss the cost-effectiveness of using solar water pumps. The methodology involves both primary and secondary data interpreted by means of a descriptive research technique and a statistical cost–benefit analysis. Analysis shows that the breakeven period between both types of pumps occurs at the third year of usage. This emphasises that although solar pumps are cost-intensive in the short run, their installation has significant benefits such as, zero power costs and environmental costs, for STGs in the long run. With large economies moving towards low carbon strategies these days, installation of solar water pumps presents an optimum policy prescription that combines both cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability, while bearing immense possibility in nourishing the tea industry of not only Assam, but the entire South Asian region.