Assess PM-KUSUM's performance so far and discuss how a dedicated Agri-PV component in its next phase could address its shortcomings.

PM-KUSUM was launched in 2019 to replace diesel in farm irrigation with solar power. Its record is uneven. The scheme has done well on solar pumps but has stalled on farm-based power plants. The 10 GW Agri-PV component planned for PM-KUSUM 2.0 [2] could fix these weak points if it is designed carefully.

Performance: Achievements

• About 10,203 MW had been installed and Rs 7,106 crore released by November 2025 [1].
• Over 10 lakh standalone pumps have been installed and 13 lakh grid-connected pumps solarised. Farmers can now irrigate by day and spend less on diesel [2].

Performance: Shortcomings

• Component-A lags badly. Only 667.31 MW of its 10,000 MW target was installed by November 2025 [3], about 6%, the lowest of the three components [6].
• Land constraint: Component-A plants were meant for barren or uncultivable land [4]. The Estimates Committee found that the lack of central assistance and land-conversion costs kept farmers away [5].
• Cost burden: Where states add no money of their own, farmers pay about 70% of the cost [5].
• Weak power buyers: Power is sold to DISCOMs (state power distribution companies) under 25-year purchase contracts [4]. Many DISCOMs are not meeting their legal duty to buy renewable power [6].
• Groundwater risk: Standalone solar pumps have increased groundwater extraction [7].

How Agri-PV Can Address These Gaps

• Uses farmland without taking it out of farming: Panels sit above or between crops, so the farmer keeps cultivating and does not need barren land [8].
• Second income stream: Earnings can rise from about Rs 60,000 to over Rs 1 lakh per acre in some cases [2].
• Water stewardship: Partial shade reduces evaporation from the soil [8]. If farmers are paid for surplus power fed to the grid, every unit not used for pumping earns money, which rewards saving water [7][9].
• Scale-up: Moving from 37.54 MW of operating Agri-PV [8] to 10 GW is a big jump. It needs a dedicated component rather than ad hoc pilots.

Design Safeguards Needed

• A legal definition of Agri-PV with a minimum crop-yield rule, and a waiver of land conversion for certified plots [5]
• Penalties for DISCOMs that miss their renewable purchase targets [6]
• Crop-wise yield data from the NISE–IARI Centre of Excellence [8]

PM-KUSUM has done well on pumps but fallen short on farm-based power plants, mainly because of land rules, financing and unwilling buyers. A well-designed Agri-PV component that guarantees crop yields, assured power purchase and rules that save water can produce food, power and income from the same land. That would advance SDG 2 (food security) and SDG 7 (clean energy) together.