Farm labour scarcity during this kharif season in Punjab has brought forth the dire need for paddy transplanters in the state. Keeping in mind the shortage and escalating wages of farm labourers, the state government has decided to import 500 paddy transplanters from China before the next paddy season. Punjab State Farmers Commission (PSFC) has been roped in to arrange these machines and each machine will cost around Rs 1.60 lakh. The state government will also offer 50% subsidy to farmers who will opt for the machine.
To promote the mechanized sowing of rice saplings, the state government has already bought seven machines from China and four from Japan. Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) has been demonstrating the use of these transplanters in Amritsar and Ludhiana.
Around four farm Labourers takes entire day to sow rice saplings on one acre while Japanese machine, which cost around Rs 8 lakh, can cover eight acres in a day and Chinese machine can cover four acres per day. The government has given its nod to bring Chinese machines because these are quite cost effective.
Speaking with FE, PS Rangi Consultant with PSFC said that farmers have already started putting forward their demand for getting the machines. He also informed that around 750 agro services centres will be opened across the state and farmers can avail paddy transplanters from here also. Explaining about the Agro centres, Rangi further said, ?These are being introduced to reduce costs and increase profits for the small and marginal farmers who constitute more than 70% of the total hands engaged in agriculture. Under this scheme all the 143 blocks will be covered and each block will have five such centers.
These service centres will function as collective pool of latest agricultural technology as each Centre will have stock of 50-60 HP tractors, laser land levelers, disc harrows and tillers, bed planters, ridgers, rotovators and mini walking tractors (rotary tiller) for special operations of tilling sugarcane and orchards.
The small and marginal farmers can hire the necessary machinery from these centers?. Initially, the government would subsidise purchase of machinery by the each Center which would be run by an operator.