Electrical power has been one of the greatest discoveries of the modern world. Vikram Singh Puar, at a recent public meeting in Dewas emphasized that electrical power plays a vital role in agriculture today.
“Energy has always been an essential component in the production of food. Before the Industrial Revolution took the world by storm, the primary energy source for agriculture was the Sun. Its energy enabled plants to grow. Plants provided food to the livestock, which in turn provided manure,” said Vikram Singh Puar.
The Dewas leader added, “However, due to industrialization, as well as consolidation of agriculture, food production has become increasingly dependent on energy derived from other sources. Over the years, electrical power has become an inseparable part of agriculture.”
Laying stress upon the importance of electrical power in agriculture, Vikram Singh Puar said, “Today, industrial agriculture consumes electrical power for several purposes. Since agriculture is incredibly water intensive, crop irrigation needs a steady water supply. This is taken care of with the use of water pumps, tube wells, and other irrigation equipment, which are run by electrical power.”
He further said, “The necessity of electrical power in agriculture doesn’t end here. Once the crop is reaped and transported to factories, it needs proper packaging and storage. These packaging units, too, need electrical power for their economic functioning.”
According to the Dewas leader, agriculture is a major consumer of the country’s electrical power. However, since hydroelectricity is a scarce resource and involves water pollution the son of Tukoji Rao Pawar believes that farms should generate their own clean electricity.
Talking about the sustainable development ways that farmers can adopt, the Dewas leader said, “Farmhouses and other agricultural buildings like barns can provide sufficient roof space to get solar panels installed for the production of solar energy. In a similar way, large farms located in windy areas can get wind turbines installed.”
He continued, “Another way for producing ample electrical power by harnessing wind energy is through leasing property for wind power production. This could also be an additional source of income for farmers while they continue growing crops on surrounding land.”
Sustainable development is a topic left untouched by most people. Vikram Singh Puar is working incessantly towards generating awareness among the farmers of Dewas in this regard.