Council to promote copper usage in Gujarat farm sector

The International Copper Promotion Council - India (ICPC) plans to extend a helping hand to the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) for conservation of energy used for agricultural purpose.

ICPC is the Indian chapter of International Copper Association Ltd, which is a non-profit organisation of 40 leading companies in the global copper industry. It has a similar ongoing project in Karnataka. The organisation promotes usage of copper in energy and construction sectors.

The council is in talks with GEDA to launch an awareness programme in rural areas of the state. The programme aims to make agricultural pumps more efficient and help the state in energy conservation.

"According to our estimates, of the total energy used in the country, the agriculture sector consumes 35 per cent and also accounts for the maximum wastage," said Ajit Advani, CEO, ICPC (India).

"Unfortunately, only five per cent of the total pumps being used in the Indian agriculture sector are energy efficient. We try and bring awareness among the farmers about the benefits of energy efficient pumps," Advani said.

He added that it was a tough task convincing farmers to adopt energy-efficient pumps as these pumps are a bit expensive. "However, our experience says they can be convinced as the response from the the Karnataka project is good."