Small, marginal farmers awaiting alternative to costly equipment

Speed Post News Network

Nawada: PM Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” call is yet to be taken seriously by Indian agricultural scientists and think tanks when it comes to the issue of providing affordable alternatives to costly agricultural machinery to small and marginal farmers who are dealing with unabated labour migration. How-to- harvest-paddy in absence of labour is the prime concern of almost every farmer.

On the other hand, countries like China, Korea, Taiwan, also predominantly rice-consuming nations, have developed affordable paddy/wheat cutters which cost between Rs 9,000 and Rs 14,000 rupees which promote self-reliance. India has been importing them since long draining our precious foreign exchange reserves in the bargain. Ironically, while Central and state governments provide subsidy on them, they never contemplate to manufacture them within the confines of the nation.

Right from Sunil Kumar, Nawada district agriculture officer to Ravi Kumar Verma, joint director (engineering cell, department of agriculture, Bihar) to the senior scientist Dr Subhash Chandra at Rajendra Krishi Vishwavidalaya’s farm machinery department (Samastipur), everybody said that India does not manufacture these equipment but said that manufacturing them within would benefit the farmers.

The intense migration of labour has been crippling agriculture in Nawada district and is symptomatic of the rot that has been plaguing the state for well over two decades. Nearly one-sixth of Nawada population (21 lakh), drawn chiefly from the mahadalit and EBC community, have opted to migrate to other states between October to June in search of livelihood. Consequently, farmers face a harrowing time when it comes to harvesting of paddy and wheat. Although India-made big harvesting machines are available, they cater to big agriculturists with large tracts of agricultural land. Small farmers, who have smaller plots, fail to utilize them as these harvesters do not leave behind any hay, a substitute for cattle fodder. Similar is the case with automatic paddy trans planter. The latter costs anything between Rs 2 and Rs 3 lakh each.

Sunil Kumar, Nawada district agriculture officer (DAO), said that such equipment were the need of the hour but one has to rely on imported ones only. He recalled having seen one at Jehanabad during his earlier tenure as DAO. Ravi Kumar Verma,  joint director of the state agriculture department’s engineering cell, said the government had invited manufacturers but none agreed to manufacture in Bihar. Dr Subhash Chandra of Rajendra Agricultural University informed that such imported equipment, during a field trial some time back, required highly skilled labour but nevertheless, advocated an improved version’s manufacture by Indian manufacturers.

Meanwhile, popularly known as “bush or grass cutters”, can be purchased from Surat, Indre, Ujjain, Lucknow, Varanasi and West Bengal who import them from China.