New mechanization service renews hopes of small and marginal farmers in AP

VIJAYAWADA: The state government, which has implemented several welfare schemes for farmers, has taken another step forward by way of providing modern agriculture measures without any additional investment. It is now rising to the needs of small and marginal farmers through YSR Farm Mechanized Service Scheme.

According to officials, under the scheme, farmers are classified into separate groups. The government subsidizes agricultural machinery such as power tillers, rotovators, cultivators, sprayers and the likes. At the level of Rythu Bharosa Kendras, the government provides community hiring centres (CHCs) by setting up five-member farmer groups with 40 per cent subsidy, 50 per cent bank loan and 10 per cent as the group’s share. While the farmers in the groups use these equipments for their own cultivation, it also allows them to rent them to other farmers on non-working days in order to generate extra income. Meanwhile, the government is also promoting the Baylor crop residue management policy to provide additional income to farmers by collecting and selling paddy straw.

Under the YSR farm mechanization service, a total of 11,960 centres are being set up across the state at a cost of Rs 2,133.75 crore. Of these, RBKs will be affiliated with a total of 10,750 CHCs as well as 175 high-tech hubs equipped with state-of-the-art agricultural machinery at the constituency level. In addition to these, a total of 1,035 cluster CHCs with combined harvesters are being set up in Krishna, Guntur and the two Godavari districts exclusively at the rate of five per zone. The target for the first phase is to establish 3,250 CHCs by September 30. Till date, 2,520 CHCs have been set up at a cost of Rs 98.8 crore.

Officials said that although the farm mechanization scheme has been implemented in the past, it has only benefited a few people. The scheme did not fulfill its core purpose as it could not reach the small and marginal farmers.

Noticing this lacuna, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has put an end to the hardships of the farmers with the farm mechanization service scheme