Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi highlighted India’s dedication to merging renewable energy with agriculture and food systems to bolster energy security, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods. Speaking at an inter-ministerial dialogue in Abu Dhabi, Joshi discussed the PM-KUSUM scheme, which incorporates solar energy into agriculture through various means like standalone solar pumps and solarization of grid-connected pumps. This initiative has already seen the installation of nearly one million standalone solar pumps and over 1.1 million solarized grid-connected pumps, contributing more than 10,200 MW of installed capacity.
India, representing a significant portion of the global population, showcased its substantial food security programs and rapid growth in renewable energy markets on international platforms. Minister Joshi underscored the transformation of farmers from food providers to clean energy suppliers through the expansion of distributed renewable energy. He emphasized that renewable energy presents a holistic solution to the global challenge of providing energy access, climate action, agricultural productivity, and rural livelihoods concurrently.
Joshi also mentioned initiatives like surplus solar power sale by farmers and programs converting agricultural residues into energy, which have attracted private investments and enhanced rural energy security. He announced the upcoming launch of PM-KUSUM 2.0, focusing on decentralized solar solutions and agri-photovoltaics to enable coexistence of agriculture and solar power generation. The minister expressed India’s readiness to strengthen partnerships and scale solutions, leveraging the country’s vast landholdings and abundant sunshine to become a global leader in renewable energy-enabled agrifood systems.
