Krishi Shakti: Little master

Durgapur, March 20: Now, here is a tractor for the middle-class farmer ? small it might be and only 10 horsepower in strength but for Rs 1 lakh, it should be within the reach of many.

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute here has developed Krishi Shakti to meet the needs of farmers who can’t afford the heavy-duty machines already in the market.

The new tractor was on show at a convention on the Indian automobile industry organised by the Council of Science and Industrial Research in Chennai last December.

The council ? the parent body of the research institute in Durgapur ? had assigned it the task of developing a tractor that would be helpful to farmers who cannot afford a usual tractor, the prices of which range between Rs 2.5 lakh and 6 lakh.

These tractors, several times stronger than their little cousin, are beyond the reach of most farmers, and not just in Bengal.

“We felt the need for a small tractor that was affordable. We believe Krishi Shakti will also help small farmers increase their yield,” said Gopal P. Sinha, the director of the research institute.

The Centre has decided to increase mechanised farming in the country in the Eleventh Plan and to make soft loans more easily available to farmers.

Minus such financial help, buying a tractor would still be a distant dream for small farmers.

Sinha said: “The techno-logy used is indigenous and the new tractor would be priced around Rs 1 lakh. We are looking for a partner who can help us market it.”

According to a report prepared by the research institute, 36 per cent of the land across the country is agricultural and about 85 per cent of the farmers small or middle-class. An average small or middle-class farmer does not own more than four hectares in India.

Bengal is way behind on the list of states where farmers use tractors ? the top four being Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

“Bengal, however, is leading in the sale of power tillers (mechanised plough), which are priced between Rs 1 lakh and 1.2 lakh. In the past five years, 25,537 power tillers were sold in Bengal. About 11 lakh tractors were sold in the country during this period,” an official said.

Looking at the markets’ response and demand, the institute will roll out two new models of Krishi Shakti.