In Gujarat, solar energy is helping farmers double their income

Farmers in Gujarat are reaping a rich harvest from their solar power installations, quite literally doubling their incomes.

Babubhai Patel, a farmer in Vahelal village of Dahegam, about 40 km from Ahmedabad, has a reason to look for a bright future in farming. A dill seed or castor seed grower, Patel has now become a power producer, earning at least double what he earned from his produce last year.

Babubhai cultivated dill seed (a spice used as an ingredient in different food preparations) on about 15 acres of his land and got a total crop of 24 quintal at the rate of ₹5,250 per quintal. “What I earned from solar power generation within the first four months of installation is very promising.