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National Agriculture Policy

Agricultural Mechanization :

The serious scarcity of draft power necessitates the use of mechanical power for agricultural production activities. The government has, therefore, attached special importance to agricultural mechanization. To encourage the use of machines in agriculture, testing and standardization restrictions have already been withdrawn in the free market distribution system. As a result, the use of agricultural machinery has increased significantly and immense potential is created for further increase. In order to accelerate the current trend of agricultural mechanization, various facilities including exemption of import duties on agricultural machinery have been provided and the same will continue.

The following steps will be taken to promote agricultural mechanization:

• The type of agricultural machines or the level of mechanization needed in any region depends on the socio-economic condition of the people, number and quality of draft animals and availability of agricultural labor in that region. Measures will be taken to collect and publicize these information through the mass media in order to attract private investment in this sector.
• In order to gradually reduce dependence on draft power, efforts will be made to grow farmers’ interest on mechanization as well as to provide credit facilities. To achieve this goal, information relating to increasing potential demand for and profitable investment in agricultural machinery will be publicized through the mass media so that the private sector can play an active role in creating a competitive market.
• Despite increasing use of mechanical power in agriculture, the use of animal power will continue in future depending on the socio-economic conditions of the farmers in different regions. Therefore, improved ‘power delivery system’ (meaning delivery of energy from the shoulder of the draft power to the agricultural implement) will be evolved through research so that the scarce draft power can be utilized more efficiently.
• Production and import of agricultural machines will be specially encouraged so that the farmers can procure machines from the market according to their choice and convenience. Machinery workshops and industries engaged in agricultural mechanization activities will be provided with appropriate taxes/duties facilities for the import of necessary raw materials. This is expected to keep the machine prices within the purchasing capacity of the farmers.
• To speed up the process of agricultural mechanization both producers and users of machines will be provided with necessary credit supports.
• Use of machines, which are usually expensive, is not often affordable by the individual farmers. In order to popularize mechanization in addition to the use of draft power, farmers will be motivated in purchasing or taking lease of agricultural machines through the cooperatives. Formation of such self-motivated cooperatives will be encouraged and necessary supports will be extended to mechanized cultivation based on cooperatives.