New Delhi, Dec. 28: A few farmers own tractors across all caste categories, according to a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). This has raised concerns over the low levels of farm mechanisation in the country.

The survey showed that there is only one tractor per 100 SC/ST farmer households, while there were three for every 100 OBC households and five per other households. The level of mechanisation, as reflected by tractor ownership, showed a major disparity in land-holding and farm size.

The ‘situation assessment survey of farmers’ ? the first of its kind in the country ? showed that among large farmer households possessing 10 hectares or more land, there were 38 tractors per 100 households.

For every 100 households with a landholding between four and 10 hectares, there were 18 tractors.

Small farmers with land holding in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 hectare owned only one tractor per household, indicating that farm mechanisation continues to remain elusive for those at the bottom of the pyramid.

Tribal households possessed a large number of cattle heads compared with farmer households of other categories. There were 173 heads of cattle per 100 tribal farmer households.

While SCs had 98, OBCs had 126 and ‘others’ had 132 cattle per 100 farmer households.

In the survey, a farmer household was defined as one which had at least one farmer as a member. A farmer was taken to be a person who possessed some land and was engaged in agricultural activities on any part of that land during the 365 days preceding the date of the survey.

According to the findings of the survey, of the average monthly income of a farmer household, Rs 969 came from cultivation.

Wages contributed to Rs 819, while the non-farm business generated Rs 236 and income from farming of animals brought in only Rs 91 per farmer household.

Of the average monthly expenditure incurred by farmer households in purchase and maintenance of productive assets, 81 per cent went for farm-related ones, 13 per cent for residential building and 6 per cent for non-farm business.

About 58 per cent of the farmers were engaged in rearing of some kind of farm animals. Households engaged in dairying spend on an average Rs 814 per month on dairy farming.

The break-up of the total annual cultivation expenses showed that 23 per cent of the expenditure went for fertilisers and manure, 22 per cent towards labour charges, 16 per cent for seeds and 12 per cent for irrigation.