Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, called for agrivoltaics policies to be specifically designed around the needs of India's small and marginal farmers, arguing that solar energy adoption in agriculture could transform farmers into both food producers and energy producers. His remarks came at the inaugural session of the AgriVoltaics World Conference 2026 in New Delhi, a three-day event he co-inaugurated with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

The Case for Farmer-Centred Agrivoltaic Design

Chouhan stressed that agrivoltaics — the practice of installing solar panels above cropland while continuing to cultivate beneath them — must not displace farming. He called for system designs that accommodate ploughing, crop rotation, and adequate rainwater drainage, emphasising that the average Indian landholding stands at just 0.96 hectares, making it essential that solar integration supplements rather than supplants cultivation.

The minister also pushed for the active involvement of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and dedicated training programmes for rural youth and women in equipment operation, repair, and maintenance — a measure he said would generate employment directly within villages.

Farmers as Annadatas and Urjadatas

Both ministers invoked the dual identity of Annadatas (food providers) and Urjadatas (energy providers) as a vision for India's farming community. Chouhan noted that electricity has become indispensable to modern agriculture, making the integration of energy generation with farming a logical step toward farmers' welfare and broader economic prosperity.

He also highlighted that India's foodgrain stocks remain adequate, that the agricultural sector has maintained a growth rate of 4.5 per cent, and that agricultural exports have reached a record $52.55 billion.

India's Renewable Energy Backdrop

Minister Joshi outlined the scale of India's renewable push, noting that the country's non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity capacity has reached 308.03 GW, accounting for more than 55 per cent of the nation's total installed capacity of approximately 560 GW.

He identified Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh as collectively holding close to 50 per cent of India's estimated agrivoltaic potential. Field studies, he noted, have indicated potential crop yield improvements of 10–20 per cent for certain crops and reductions of around 30 per cent in water consumption under suitable agrivoltaic systems.

PM-KUSUM Expansion and Cost Challenges

Joshi announced that one of the world's most ambitious agrivoltaic programmes would be launched under the next phase of PM-KUSUM, aligning the scheme with existing agricultural programmes to accelerate solar energy adoption in the farm sector.

He also acknowledged a key structural barrier: elevated and tilted agrivoltaic structures can be 25–30 per cent more expensive than conventional ground-mounted solar installations. The government, he said, aims to bridge this cost gap through targeted support for AgriPV capacity creation.

As the conference progresses over three days, the sector will watch closely whether the policy framework that emerges translates ministerial intent into farmer-accessible, ground-level solutions.