Seventh AgriVoltaics World Conference opens at Bharat Mandapam with a study putting 47.5 million hectares in play

21 October 2026

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on 21 October 2026, a three-day event. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Shri Pralhad Joshi also addressed the session. Citing a study by The Energy and Resources Institute, Shri Joshi said 47.5 million hectares, about 30 per cent of India's 116 million hectares of agricultural land, are technically suitable for agrivoltaics, and that Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh hold 50 per cent of that suitable land. India's average landholding is 0.96 hectares and over 85 per cent of farmers are small and marginal. The technology has been found to raise crop yields by 10 to 20 per cent. Shri Joshi said using 10 per cent of the suitable area could meet India's projected electricity demand up to 2050 and announced that the next phase of PM-KUSUM will carry a large agrivoltaics programme. Non-fossil energy capacity exceeds 308 GW and 30 lakh agricultural pumps have been solarised under PM-KUSUM.