Farm Power & Machinery Management 3(2+1)

Lesson 27. Factors in favour of farm mechanization

1. Timeliness of farm operations: The timeliness of field operations has assumed greater significance in obtaining optimal yields from different crops which has been possible by way of mechanization. For instance, the sowing of wheat is done up to the first fortnight of November, a delay beyond this period by every one week leads to about 1.50 q per acre decrease in yield. Appropriate farm machines may have to be introduced to ensure timely farm operations which may also result in 20-30% saving in operation time.
2. Increased cropping intensity: The time taken to perform sequence of operations is a factor determining the cropping intensity. Agricultural mechanisation has made significant contribution in enhancing cropping intensity. The growth in irrigated areas and tractor density has had direct bearing on cropping intensity. Cropping intensity was the highest in mechanised farms having tubewell and tractors (206.4%) followed by partially mechanised farms having only tubewell (176.6%) and non-mechanised farm (143.8%). Thus, facilities of assured tubewell irrigation and mechanical power helped the farmers in raising cropping intensity on their farm significantly.
3. Increased area under crop production: Food production levels of the country shall be enhanced by improving crop productivity and enhancing area under cultivation of food crops. Mechanisation is a powerful tool which enhances human capacity and allows timeliness, efficiency and consistency in field operations. With the help of mechanisation not only productivity will improve but also uncultivated land and marginal lands can be availed under cultivation.
4. Increased Productivity: Higher productivity of land is an important factor which clearly justified farm mechanisation. Different researcher have concluded that farm mechanization enhances the production and productivity of different crops due to timeliness of operations, better quality of operations and precision in the application of inputs. The states with higher level of farm power have higher productivity levels of food grains. Sowing of required quantity of seed at proper depth and uniform application of given dose of fertilizer can only be possible with the use of proper mechanical device.
5. Increased labour productivity and employment generation: With mechanization not only the output per hour is more, the total labour requirement is also reduced by about 20-30%. In agricultural production system, there are ways by which it contributes to employment generation i.e. Increased cultivated area and Increased in cropped area due to technological change and infrastructure investments.
6. Reduced cost of production: With increased in crop production for per unit area and per unit time, the cost of production is automatically reduced.
7. Commercialisation and diversification of agriculture: As production increases with mechanisation of farm operations, it creates a good scope for commercialisation.
8. Drudgery reduction: Farm mechanisation can help to perform the power intensive and ergonomically ardours tasks. Thus mechanisation contrary to the restricted opinion in labour displacement, stands to compliment human labour in improving agriculture production in India and decrease drudgery in field operations, thereby enhancing quality of life of rural man and woman.
9. Improved quality of life and rural upliftment: Mechanisation provided entrepreneurship opportunities and sustainable rural livelihoods and facilitates crop processing and there by improves rural economic opportunities.
10. Quality improvement and value addition: Timely marketing will be made possible by quick mechanical transportation, cleaning and handling of farm produce.

Future targets to achieve the desired level of mechanisation in India:

Future targets in farm mechanization to be achieved in India would be:

• To increase total power availability in Indian agriculture to 2 kW/ha (with share of mechanical, electrical and animal powers as 70, 25 & 5% respectively) by the year 2020.

• To increase productivity and conserve resources through effective utilization of chemical, biological and mechanical inputs.

• To mechanize commercial crops like sugarcane, cotton, fruits and vegetable especially potato crops and green house (covered) cultivation.

• To mechanize the dry land areas of the country which occupy about 66% of the total cultivated area, where timeliness of field operations especially during seed bed preparation and sowing & planting is crucial to establish a good crop stand in deficient/ receding soil moisture content.

• To develop machinery with greater precision agriculture to achieve increase in production by increasing the cropping intensity and per hectare productivity.

• To develop high capacity farm machines for timeliness of operation where turnaround time is low and use developed high capacity machines on custom hiring and for contractual field operations.

• To strengthen R & D – manufacturer linkages for speedy commercialization.

• To put more emphasis on the development of agricultural tractors and engines to run on vegetable oil, alcohol and other oils of plant origins.

• To improve management of farm machinery. Appropriate high capacity farm machines matching to power sources may have to be introduced to ensure timely farm operations without further delay.

• To mechanize hill agriculture by developing appropriate technologies, where there is tremendous potential of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers etc.

• To make concerned efforts for controlled application of water through drip, sprinkler and micro-sprinkler systems to economize the use of water and improving water use efficiency.

• Diversification of agriculture for growing high value crops and horticulture, floriculture, industrial crops, mushroom cultivation, agro forestry and energy plantation through contract farming and cultivation by the industries with progressive farmers to modernize agriculture for producing high value crops.

• To improve quality, reliability & safety in the manufacture of farm machinery for their export to other developing countries.

• To standardize the manufacture of critical components of improved farm machinery and encourage for their mass production by medium and large-scale manufacturers.

Policy Initiatives by the Government of India to Promote Farm Mechanization

1. Training : Establishment of Four Farm Machinery and Technology Training Institute (FMTTI)

2. Demonstration: Large Scale Demonstration of Equipment at Farmers Field

3. Incentives for Purchase of Equipment: Subsidy through MMA, NFSM, NHM and Similar Other Schemes Available to all Categories of Farmers; Subsidy for tractors up to 40 PTO hp

4. Incentives for establishment of Machinery Banks at Block Levels for Custom Hiring Services

5. Identification of Machines for

• Hill Agriculture

• Gender friendly Tools and Equipment

• Crop Specific Package of Machines

• Manufacturing Sector

• De-reservation of Manufacturing of Agricultural Machines from Small Scale Sector

• Training on Manufacturing Technologies Introduced

6. Quality of Machines: Minimum Performance Standards for Tractors, Power Tillers & Combine Harvesters Framed; Standard Specifications for All Machines; Equipment Promotion through Subsidy: Testing by FMTTI or BIS certification is mandatory

7. Credits: NABARD Refinance available & Financing Norms Simplified

8. Agro Processing Sector: Scheme on Post Harvest Technology

9. Technologies Developed by ICAR / CSIR Promoted

10. Study to formulate long-term mechanization strategy for each agro climatic zone. Agro-climatic zones of India Divided into 15 agro-climatic zones and further subdivided into 73 Sub- Zones. Objectives of the study relating to formulating long term Mechanization strategy were:

a) To study the soil types, land topography.

b) To study the socio-economic conditions

c) To study the present status, ultimate potential, the gaps, highlighting critical ones; for equipment used in various agricultural operations starting right from tillage to the post-harvest operations.

d) To study the types and utility of various agricultural equipment, both conventional and improved ones, presently in use and those needed in future, for different crops/cropping systems in the Zones.

e) To study the impact of farm mechanization on employment of labour.

f) To study the cropping pattern, both agricultural and horticultural, in the Zones, yields in relation to the national average, and their growth potential.

g) To study and assess the use of farm power per hectare, ultimate requirement, ways and means to fulfill the gaps for various farm operations. To study the infrastructure facilities for the manufacture, marketing, after sale service/repairs availability etc. of agricultural equipment.

h) To study and assess the adequacy and the requirement of infrastructure at the central and State levels, for planning, promotion, execution and extension of the various plan programmes on agricultural mechanization.

i) To identify new/improved farm equipment that may be needed by the farmers during next 20 years, i.e. by the year 2020, for carrying out different farm operations.

j) To formulate strategies and programmes that may be required for mechanization of agriculture during the period 2001–2005, 2005–2010, 2010– 2015, 2015–20.

Long-term Mechanization Strategy Study -Recommendations

The annual investment on agricultural machinery including tractors, power tillers, engines, etc., is more than Rs 500,000 million compared to the combined annual investment of Rs 240,000 million on fertilizers, certified seeds and plant protection chemicals. Due to poor information and inadequate guidance, the farmer often makes wrong selection of machinery leading to improper investment. This requires an Agricultural Mechanization Board at the Center under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Agriculture, to take policy decisions at the national level, review and revise mechanization strategies, monitor the programmes of mechanization and make such interventions as may be required to keep the programmes in line with general agricultural goals and policies.

There should be Agricultural Mechanization Councils in the States which should have the same functions as the Agricultural Mechanization Board in respect of the States which should be chaired by the Ministers of Agriculture. The programmes of Agricultural Mechanization at the Center should be headed by a Commissioner of Agricultural Engineering & Technology who should be directly responsible for the planning and monitoring of agricultural mechanization programmes at the national level and who should oversee testing and training activities of the FMTTIs. Director of Agricultural Engineering and Technology should head the agricultural mechanization programmes at the State level.

TESTING AND TRAINING

Selected SAUs and Research Institutes with strong agricultural engineering component should be supported by DOAC to develop facilities and undertake farm machinery testing for the purpose of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification, to help the manufactures to improve quality of equipment and to provide information on machinery performance to DOAC and other organizations. The tractor testing should remain exclusively with FMTTIs Centers.

The State Directors of Agricultural Engineering, SAUs, State Agro-Industries Corporations, FMTTIs, ICAR Institutes having Tractor Training Centers (TTCs), KVKs and tractor and farm machinery dealers should be made responsible for training tractor and machinery operators.

Orientation/refresher courses for the functionaries of the above listed organizations should be organized at regular interval with the cooperation of Agricultural Universities and ICAR Institute

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

• Agricultural mechanization research and development programmes in the SAUs and ICAR Institutes should be strengthened.

• The programmes of Front Line Demonstration (FLD) of farm machinery should be strengthened.

• Research and Development (R&D) programmes should be reoriented to deliver outputs which are needed by the farmers and are marketable.

• Encourage custom hiring operation of tractors, power tillers and farm machinery.

• Contract farming should be encouraged.

• Organize farm machinery cooperatives at selected locations

The R&D programmes in future should focus on the development of farm machinery and power units for:

• Precision and protected agriculture.

• Hill agriculture.

• Horticulture, cash and plantation crop.

• Recovery and management of crop residues.

• Non-farm applications like efficient rural transport, maintenance of village roads, etc.,

Sample equipment like hill side tractors, tool carriers, precision planters, transplanter, harvesters and pickers for sugarcane, cotton, fruits, etc, high capacity mowers, swathers and balers and mechanical handling equipment should be imported and made available to R&D Institutes

Resource Conservation

• The farmers should be encouraged to incorporate crop residues into the soil to improve its organic matter content.

• Periodic sub-soiling should be practiced to avoid hard pan formation.

• Equipment for forming raised beds, precision leveling to improve water use efficiency should be encouraged.

• Energy saving practices like zero till planting, strip till planting, use of machine combines and throttle down - high gear operation of tractors should be demonstrated and promoted.

• Micro-irrigation system viz. sprinkler and drip irrigation system should be encouraged to save energy and improve water utilization efficiency.

QUALITY OF FARM MACHINERY

• Selected SAUs, Agricultural Engineering Institutes of ICAR and ITIs should be supported to develop competence and offer intensive training to young technicians and artisans in the fabrication and manufacture of farm tools and machinery.

• Farm machinery manufacturing is reserved for small scale industries.

• FMTTIs should continue to test tractors and power tillers, zonal farm machinery testing centers should be established.

• Farm machinery manufacturers training programmes and manufacturers business meets may be organized to create awareness among the manufacturers about the production of quality agricultural equipment and machinery.

• FMTTIs/SAUs/ICAR Institutes and other R&D organizations should offer technical support and testing facilities to the farm machinery and processing equipment manufacturers to improve the quality of their products.

Literature Cited:

1) Singh S P, Singh R S and Surendra Singh (2011) Sale trend of Tractors and Farm Power availability in India. Agricultural Engineering Today. Vol. 35(2).

2) Tyagi K K, Jagbir Singh, K K Kher and V K Jain and Surendra Singh (2010) Status and Projection Estimates of Agricultural Implements and Machinery in India. Agricultural Engineering Today. Vol. 34(4).

3) Mehta C R (2013) Status and Future Mechanization in Indian Agriculture. Lecture delivered in “Summer School on Machinery for Natural Resource Management and Technologies” held at Deptt. Of FM&PE, PAU, Ludhiana.

4) Sharma D N and S Mukesh (2013) Farm Power and Machinery Management (Principles and Practices) (Vol.-1). Jain Brothers (New Delhi)

5) Verma S R (2007) Farm Mechanisation for Diversification of Agriculture. Lecture delivered in “National seminar on Farm Mechanisation for diversification of agriculture” held at Deptt. Of FM&PE, PAU, Ludhiana organised by the Institution of Engineers (India) Ludhiana local Centre