Meeting on introduction of CNG-run irrigation pump today
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
FE Report
The government is likely to take initiatives for replacing the diesel-run irrigation pumps with locally developed CNG-run ones in order to saving huge fund spent on diesel consumption.
Official sources estimated that such replacement would save over Tk 20.00 billion per year.
According to sources in the Science & Information and Communication Technology (Sc&ICT) Ministry, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held today (Tuesday) at the secretariat to explore the possibility of adopting the new technology in agriculture sector.
Representatives from the energy, finance and agriculture ministries and BCSIR would attend the meeting along with the representative of the Sc&ICT ministry, the sources added.
The Sc&ICT ministry sources said that the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in June last developed the technology, which would help replace the diesel-operated pumps with CNG-run ones.
The sources stated if the diesel-fueled irrigation pumps were replaced by the CNG-operated ones, about 75 per cent cost of irrigation would be saved.
Sources in the agriculture ministry said about Tk 32.84 billion was spent to run diesel pumps in the last Boro season.
According to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), there are about 924,023 shallow pumps and 23,434 deep tube-wells in the country for irrigating the crops fields.
About 90 per cent of the shallow pumps are run by diesel. Besides, about 6,263 deep tube-wells, out of the total 23,434, are run by diesel fuel.
Meanwhile, sources in the Energy Division said about 20 per cent or over 0.5 million tonnes of diesel is used to operate the irrigation pumps in the country.
Sources in the BCSIR said that the newly developed irrigation pumps would be based on duel-fuel technology where 95 per cent CNG and 5 per cent diesel will be required to operate.
According to BCSIR estimation, a four-horse-power diesel-operated engine could run 10 minutes consuming 0.1 litre of diesel while with the same quantity of diesel and 1.03 cubic metre of CNG, the pump could run for 95 minutes. The price of one cubic metre of CNG is Tk 8.75 while per litre diesel is Tk 40.
The source said: "Usually a high-powered (12-horse power) irrigation pump consumes 40 litres of diesel to irrigate 100 bighas of land at a cost of Tk 1600. On the contrary it will consume 25 cubic metre of CNG and 2.0 litre of diesel to cover the same area. The prices for 25 cubic metre of CNG and two litres of diesel will be about Tk 280 and transportation cost will be Tk 200."
So it would require Tk 480 for irrigating the 100 bighas of land by the newly developed duel-fuel pumps while Tk 1600 will be for the traditional diesel-run pumps, the source noted.
The government is likely to take initiatives for replacing the diesel-run irrigation pumps with locally developed CNG-run ones in order to saving huge fund spent on diesel consumption.
Official sources estimated that such replacement would save over Tk 20.00 billion per year.
According to sources in the Science & Information and Communication Technology (Sc&ICT) Ministry, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held today (Tuesday) at the secretariat to explore the possibility of adopting the new technology in agriculture sector.
Representatives from the energy, finance and agriculture ministries and BCSIR would attend the meeting along with the representative of the Sc&ICT ministry, the sources added.
The Sc&ICT ministry sources said that the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) in June last developed the technology, which would help replace the diesel-operated pumps with CNG-run ones.
The sources stated if the diesel-fueled irrigation pumps were replaced by the CNG-operated ones, about 75 per cent cost of irrigation would be saved.
Sources in the agriculture ministry said about Tk 32.84 billion was spent to run diesel pumps in the last Boro season.
According to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), there are about 924,023 shallow pumps and 23,434 deep tube-wells in the country for irrigating the crops fields.
About 90 per cent of the shallow pumps are run by diesel. Besides, about 6,263 deep tube-wells, out of the total 23,434, are run by diesel fuel.
Meanwhile, sources in the Energy Division said about 20 per cent or over 0.5 million tonnes of diesel is used to operate the irrigation pumps in the country.
Sources in the BCSIR said that the newly developed irrigation pumps would be based on duel-fuel technology where 95 per cent CNG and 5 per cent diesel will be required to operate.
According to BCSIR estimation, a four-horse-power diesel-operated engine could run 10 minutes consuming 0.1 litre of diesel while with the same quantity of diesel and 1.03 cubic metre of CNG, the pump could run for 95 minutes. The price of one cubic metre of CNG is Tk 8.75 while per litre diesel is Tk 40.
The source said: "Usually a high-powered (12-horse power) irrigation pump consumes 40 litres of diesel to irrigate 100 bighas of land at a cost of Tk 1600. On the contrary it will consume 25 cubic metre of CNG and 2.0 litre of diesel to cover the same area. The prices for 25 cubic metre of CNG and two litres of diesel will be about Tk 280 and transportation cost will be Tk 200."
So it would require Tk 480 for irrigating the 100 bighas of land by the newly developed duel-fuel pumps while Tk 1600 will be for the traditional diesel-run pumps, the source noted.