Jorhat, March 20: The department of agricultural engineering, College of Agriculture under Assam Agricultural University (AAU) here is mulling the adoption of a village in a bid to mechanise it 100 per cent.
This was stated by AAU vice-chancellor K.M. Bujarbaruah, on the sidelines of the technological exhibition-cum-demonstration fair organised by the department for farmers today.
The department was asked to scout for a village where technological intervention would be done at every stage - from planting of seedlings and transplanting to reaping and threshing.
Earlier in the inaugural meeting Bujarbaruah said when talking of mechanisation, it was not an exclusive sphere only to do with the agricultural engineering department but could also encompass breeding.
"The breeder should also produce such crops of certain height and length so that equipment can be used smoothly. If the height of the plants vary it would be difficult to harvest them up and down," he said.
He said time management by farmers was another important aspect.
"In Bhatinda, Punjab, because of the high cost of rotavators, the government decided to run them through the fields of the farmers. There was no grumbling even if a farmer's turn came at midnight or two hours later. Everyone was up and eager to use the free rotavator, whatever the hour," he said.
Bujarbaruah said in India 52 per cent of people were farmers and in Assam this was about 70 per cent. However, in America only about 3 per cent of the people were engaged in farming but because of 100 per cent mechanisation, they were not only self-sufficient but were producing for the rest of the world as well.
"What is needed is less people dependent on agriculture and more in production which can be done only through mechanisation," he said.
G.N. Hazarika, director of research, AAU, quoting from an article published recently, said it was heart warming to know that in 1971-72 the man, animal and mechanisation ratio stood at 15:44:39, in 1991-92 it stood at 9:17:74 and in 2012-13 it was 5:5:90.
However, in Assam the mechanisation ratio was very low. This was evident from the fact that according to one statistic on 1,000 hectares land in Haryana the tractor density was 84-86, in Punjab 76 and the all India density was 33 but in Assam it was lesser than 33.
"It is time to empower farmers through holding of certificate courses for those who have small and marginal holdings. Specific research should also be done on use of implements to serve the needs of climate change, soil variability and different crops," he said.
J.J.R. Narware, director of Northeastern Regional Farm Machinery Testing and Training Institute, Biswanth Chariali, one of the four farm machinery testing divisions in India, asked farmers to avail of the 100 per cent subsidy meant for farmers of the Northeast in the submission for farm mechanisation scheme of the Centre. He also asked them to avail the training in his facility.
