Farmers got 15.23 lakh agri machinery under Central scheme since 2014-15

The Centre has provided 15.23 lakh agricultural machinery and equipment to farmers under the Centrallysponsored scheme “SubMission on Agricultural Mechanisation” (SMAM), according to Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister.

Under the scheme, 15,23,650 agricultural machinery and equipment have been provided to the farmers.

He said 43,954 custom hiring centres/hitech hubs/farm machinery banks have been established.

Stating that agricultural mechanisation and crop productivity have a direct correlation, he said agricultural mechanisation saves time and labour, increases utilisation efficiencies of various costly inputs, reduces drudgery, reduces postharvest losses, and boosts crop output and farm income.

“It has been found that agricultural mechanisation in India leads to saving in seed (1520 per cent), saving in fertilizer (1520 per cent), saving in time (2030 per cent), reduction in weed (2040 per cent), reduction in labour (2030 per cent), improvement in germination rate (725 per cent), increase in cropping intensity (520 per cent), and increase in crop yield (1323 per cent),” he said.