Solar Powered Irrigation in Mozambique : Market Landscape

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Introduction

This article is part of the publication on Solar irrigation market analysis in Mozambique which looks at the feasibility of introducing individual solar-powered irrigation packages at small scale enterprise level in Mozambique.

Private Sector Inventory

Manufacturers and Available Brands 

The following table shows an overview of the available solar pump brands in Mozambique in January 2021. The pumps available on a distributor basis are featured by an annual sales volume of at least 100 pumps, for three years in a row. Retail volumes range from 2 to 25 pumps sold per year. Five manufacturers have confirmed that their pumps are not on the market in Mozambique yet. Two others companies, Sunculture and Dayliff are interested to enter in the future.

Table 2 Availability of solar pump brands in Mozambique

Available brands Brands not available in Mozambique Brands of which the presence is unknown
Lorentz – Retail Ningbo Difful
Grundfos – Distributor Sunculture Xinya
Solartech  - Distributor Dayliff Mono
Futurepump –Distributor Pumpmakers Ennos Sunlight
Taifu – Retail Spowdi
Cedar Solar – Retail
Feili – Retail
Samking - Retail
Shakti - Retail
Jain - Retail

As for irrigation equipment, at least four brands of drip systems are available in Mozambique: Shakti, Agriplas, Drip Tech India, and Netafim, as well as one brand of spray tubes: San Fu.

Solar Irrigation Suppliers in Mozambique

The distribution strategy varies amongst different manufacturers, some choosing for one exclusive national distributor per country, while others sell pumps to any company that is interested to sell their brand. Grundfos makes use of their authorized distribution partner and authorized service partner (Blue Zone), while Lorentz uses their standard distribution classification: in Mozambique they have one Distribution Partner (DP) and one Sales and Service Partner (SSP)[1]. Most solar pump suppliers in Mozambique sell at least two different brands, except for ProCampo that only sells Cedar Solar. There are also solar pump brands that have been introduced during projects, but that are not available for sales within Mozambique: Vida and Pumpmakers.

The following data are based on the results of the online survey responses from 10 solar pump and irrigation system suppliers in Mozambique. Amongst these respondents, most classify themselves as a national distributor (40%). As for the type of service provided, 90% of the respondents supply and install technologies. Design and engineering of the systems is only done by 30% of the respondents.

Table 3 Private sector respondents

Category of the private sector respondents
Manufacturer 0 0%
National distributor 4 40%
Retailer 1 10%
Agent 2 20%
Engineering services 2 20%
Agrodealer 1 10%
Total 10 100%

From the interviewed suppliers, 90% sells solar powered pumps. The remaining company was included in the survey because they will start selling solar pumps within the upcoming year. Overall, 60% of the companies provide both solar pumps and irrigation equipment.

Specifications of Available Technologies

Pump Types and Water Sources

Only one of the suppliers responded that its bestselling model is a suction pump. Suction pumps are most effective for surface water or groundwater up to maximum 7 meters’ depth. The pump type is directly related to the water source, as is shown in the diagram below. The company selling suction pumps is the only one that considers shallow boreholes, hand-dug wells and lakes as one of the main water sources used. Interestingly, the majority of the solar pumps is currently used in deep boreholes (63%), followed by rivers (50%).


Pump Models, Capacity and Prices

The following table shows the overview of the technical specifications and prices of the bestselling solar pump models in Mozambique. Most suppliers have more models available with different technical characteristics and prices. If a box is empty it means the number is unknown.

Table 4 Specifications of solar pumps available in Mozambique

Specifications of solar pumps in Mozambique
Supplier in Mozambique Brand Model Price in Meticais Total Watt-age Rated flow (m3/h) Head at rated flow (m) Max head (m)
Metaluz Lda Taifu (Jiadi and Pumpman) 4SWN205-0.8N 32,760 1280 2.2 57 70
Sun Power Engineering Solartech SPM600H 20,000 270 10 190
Procampo Limitada Cedar Solar CEVA 100 870,000 9750 24 40 60
5.5-12 kW
Water Irrigation Solutions Moz, Lda Futurepump SF2 77,500 120 2 3-6 8
SF1 50,778 80
SE1 60 or 120 1 3-6
Blue Zone Mozambique Lda Grundfos SQF 2.5-2 140,000 1200 2,5 100 120
Large range available, mainly SQF & CRF SQF: 250
Soelec Lorentz PS2-100 80,000 327 2 40 50
Mudumene Trading Lorentz Hr700 390,000 800 5 120 140
Hr200, Hr14, Hr7
Solar Works Futurepump SE1 60 or 120 1 3-6
SF2 120 2 3-6 8
F&L Lda Feili FLD, FLA 210,000 60 100

Great care should be taken when comparing the prices of different pumps, since there are a lot of variables to take into account. It is recommended to determine the required daily yield (m3/day) and dynamic head (m) before making any inquiries about suitable pumps and prices. Practica is developing the Solar Irrigation Pump Selector mobile phone app to help technicians, farmers and sales agents to make this calculation and compare the feasibility of different pumps types for a given farm situation. There are also apps launched by particular brands for sizing, calculating and finding spare parts, such as the Grundfos GO solar app.

Another important aspect to take into account are the components that are included in the price. In fact, the number of components included showed the highest correlation with the price (co-efficient of +0.74). This is a much stronger relation than the price and capacity (nominal flow) which only showed a correlation co-efficient of +0.27. The following table shows the components that are included in the different solar pump prices that were mentioned. It also shows that all solar pumps are provided with a warranty of on average 1.5 years. Generally, such warranties only apply to factory defects, and do not cover broken solar panels or damage from other accidents. 

Table 5 Components included in solar pump prices

Components included in the indicated solar pump prices.

Empty boxes mean the component is not included in the indicated price.

Pump Price in Meticais Solar panels Panel frame Hose Electrical cables Installation Transport Warranty
Taifu 32,760 No Yes 0.5 year
Solartech 20,000 Yes 3 years
Cedar Solar 870,000 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 year
Futurepump 77,500 Yes Yes Yes 1 year
Grundfos 140,000 Yes 1 year
Lorentz 80,000 Yes 1 year
Lorentz 390,000 Yes 3 years
Feili 210,000 Yes Yes Yes Yes unknown
Percentage 50% 25% 13% 75% 25% 25% 100%

Irrigation Equipment

The following figures show the characteristics of irrigation equipment provided by solar pump suppliers. The remaining respondents do not provide irrigation equipment with their pumps.

Table 6 (Solar) irrigation equipment available in Mozambique

(Solar) Irrigation equipment available in Mozambique
Supplier Type Brand Surface unit Price in meticais Price in EUR[2] Price per ha in EUR
SunPower Engineering Drip Shakti Estimated at 500 m2 25,000 342 (6840)[3]
Procampo Limitada Drip Agriplas 1 ha 350,000 4795 4795
Water and Irrigation Solutions Drip Drip Tech India 500 m2 20,000 274 5479
F&L Lda Drip Netafim 500 m2 16,000 219 4384
Mudumene Trading Spray tubes San Fu 250 m2 20 0.27 11[4]


The table shows that the cost of a drip system does not vary more than 25% from the average once converted into costs per hectare. The average price of 4886 €/ha for a drip system is similar as the cost of drip systems in Benin (4444€/ha), and about 46% higher than the cost of a drip kit in Senegal (3346€/ha). The cost of spray tubes by Mudumene Trading in Chimoio is subsidized and therefore not representative. However, without subsidies the cost per hectare of spray tubes is still significantly lower than the cost of drip systems.

Like for the solar pumps, the components that are included in the provided unit prices for irrigation systems vary considerably.

Table 7 Components included in irrigation system prices

Components included in the indicated irrigation system prices
Brand Tubes Connections Spare parts Installation Transport Warranty Estimated lifespan
Shakti Yes Yes 3 years 10 years
Agriplas Yes Yes Yes Yes 1 year >5 years
Drip Tech India Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2 years
Netafim Yes Yes Yes 1 year 2 years
San Fu Yes 3 years 15 years
Percentage 60% 80% 20% 40% 40% 80%

Except for Drip Tech India, all systems come with a 1 or 3 years’ warranty. The suppliers offering a three years’ warranty also indicate that the lifespan of their systems is very high: 10 to 15 years.

Further Resources

Reference

This article is part of the publication written by Berry van den Pol, Practica Foundation.

Footnote

[1 Distribution Partners stock products, provide local support and training to local sales and service partners. Sales and Service Partners provide sales, installation and support to end customers.

[2] A EUR/MZN rate of 1/73 was used in this report, following the official exchange rate on www1.oanda.com at 28/05/21.

[3] Since the surface unit was not indicated, the common unit size of 500 m2 per drip system was assumed here. In this report, any values between brackets have been estimated by extrapolation.

[4] This price was subsidized by an NGO. The common cost for spray tubes is between 250 and 2100 EUR/ha depending on the supplier and materials used for installation.

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