India has seen significant increases in food grain production but agriculture's contribution to GDP is declining. Farm mechanization has helped improve productivity but challenges remain due to small land holdings and lack of access to machinery. While tractor use is growing, much agricultural work remains done manually, particularly for crops besides rice and wheat. Expanding mechanization could further increase yields and incomes while reducing labor shortages and drudgery, but access and economic barriers remain for many small farmers.

1. CURRENT STATUS OF FARM
MACHENISATION IN INDIA
India ranks second in the world as far as farm production is concerned but the economic
contribution of agriculture to India's GDP is declining continuously with the country's broad-
based economic growth. In India, 63 per cent holdings are less than 1 ha accounting for 19
per cent of the total operated area whereas; over 86 percent holdings are less than 2 ha
accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the total area. Fragmentation of farm holdings is major
concern in this respect and the average size of holdings has shrunk from 2.82 ha in 1970-71
to 1.1 ha in 2010-11.
India ranks second in production of wheat and rice and third in pulses, sugarcane, vegetables,
root and tuber crops, coconut, dry fruits, agriculture-based textile raw materials, inland fish
and eggs (Singh et al., 2015). India produced 275.11 million metric tonnes (MT) of food
grains during 2016-17 breaking all the earlier records. Table 1 shows the production achieved
in different crop from 1950-51 to 2017-18.
Farm mechanization has been helpful to bring about a significant improvement in agricultural
productivity. Thus, there is strong need for mechanization of agricultural operations. The
factors that justify the strengthening of farm mechanization in the country can be numerous.
The timeliness of operations has assumed greater significant in obtaining optimal yields from
different crops, which has been possible by way of mechanization.
Table 1 shows the production achieved in different crop from 1950-51 to 2017-18
Year Rice Wheat Coarse cereals Pulses Total food
grains
1950-51 21 6 15 8 51
1960-61 35 11 24 13 82
1970-71 42 24 31 12 108
1980-81 54 36 29 11 130
1990-91 74 55 33 14 176
2000-01 85 70 31 11 197
2010-11 96 87 43 18 244
2016-17 110 99 44 23 275
2017-18* 112 99 45 25 280
The motivation to mechanize farming activities is primarily driven by a wish to increase a
family’s food security, increase household income, or improve the quality of life. Farmers
may fully use custom hiring services and reap significant economic and social benefits. The
economic benefits will include increasing the efficiency of man power, reduction in input
costs, increasing the net cultivated area, undertaking timely operation, improving the quality
of cultivation, increasing farm output, adopting crop diversification, reduction in harvesting
and post-harvesting losses, and earning income through hiring farm-power services to others.
The social benefits include reduction in workloads and drudgery (especially for women

2. workers), improving safety and encouraging young generation and innovative people to
remain in rural areas and work at farm. Farm mechanization saves inputs like seeds up to 15-
20 per cent, fertilizers by 15-20 per cent and increases cropping intensity by 5-20 per cent.
It increases the efficiency of farm labour and reduces time of agricultural operation by 15-20
per cent.
Agriculture GDP and level of farm mechanization in different countries
Country Agricultural GDP (%) Level of mechanization (%)
USA 1 95
Western Europe <5 95
Russia 4 80
Brazil 5 75
China 10 48
India 14 40
The agricultural sector in India has been depended on cheap and surplus labour for the long
time. Now, the situation is changing with more opportunities available in factories and
services as well as the Government’s rural employment creation program, which provides
100 days of employment on public related work projects. Labour shortage problems are being
faced by farmers during peak seasons due to the enactment of the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act. Labours are available at a higher cost and this increases the
demand for mechanization. It has been observed that the percentage of agricultural workers to
the total workers has been steadily declining from 59.1 per cent in 1991 to 54.6 per cent in
2011 and expected to further decline to 25.7 per cent by 2050 leading to severe farm labour
shortage.
Population Dynamics of Indian workers and farm labour shortage
Population Dynamics of Indian Agricultural Workers (No in Millions)
Particulars 1991 2001 2011 2020 2050
Country's Population 846.4 1,028.7 1,210.7 1,323 1,612
Total Number of Workers 313.7 402.2 481.7 566 787
Workers’ Percentage of Population 37.1% 39.1% 39.8% 42.8% 48.8%
Number of agricultural workers 185.3 234.1 263 230 202
Including: Cultivators 110.7 127.3 118.7 110 000
Including: Agricultural Labours 74.6 106.8 144.3 120 000
Agricultural Workers’ percentage
of Total Number of Workers
59.1% 58.2% 54.6% 40.6% 25.7%
The agriculture sector has witnessed a substantial decline in use of animate power (animal
and human power) in agriculture activities. The role of tractors in India reveals the increasing
trend of tractorization in the country.Custom hiring of farm equipment is a prevalent practice
in India, particularly among small farmers for whom ownership of large equipment is
expensive and uneconomical. Given the agricultural worker scarcity and the launch of several
Government programs, the adoption of farm mechanization is going to increase in future. The
use of farm mechanization enlarges the employment opportunities both on farms and in
nonfarm sectors through increase in area under plough, multiple cropping, development of
agro-industries and related services. On the other hand, displacement of human labour does
take place and demand for semiskilled labour in place of unskilled labour is increased. Also,

3. the drudgery for human labour is reduced and unhygienic operations such as handling of farm
yard manure can be done with machinery.
Agricultural Workers
 Draught Animals: Bullocks, Buffaloes, Camels, Horses And Ponies, Mules and Donkey
 Tractors
 PowerTillers
 Self-Propelled Machines: Combines, Dozers, Reapers, Sprayers etc.
 Stationary Power: Diesel/Oil Engines for Pump Sets, Threshers, Sprayers and other
stationary operations
 Electric Motors: For Pump Sets, Threshers, Sprayers and Other Stationary Operations
Aspects of Indian agriculture (1960-2010)
Item 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Agricultural land (Mha) 133 140 140 143 143 142
Irrigation pumps (million) 0.4 3.3 6.2 12.9 19.5 25
Irrigated area (%) 19 22 28 33 34 35
Cropping intensity 1.15 1.18 1.23 1.30 1.33 1.39
Fertilizer use (kg/ha) 2 15 39 88 125 150
Grain yield (kg/ha) 700 860 1000 1300 1600 1900
Tractors (thousands) 37 146 531 1200 2600 4000
Area per tractor (ha) 3600 960 260 120 55 36
Power tillers (thousand) 0 9.5 16 31 100 155
Draft animals (million) 80.4 82.6 73.4 70.9 60.3 50
Various type of machine used for different operation in agriculture

4. The overall level of farm mechanization in India is 40-45 per cent (i.e. tillage about 40 per
cent, seeding and planting about 30 per cent, plant protection 35-45 per cent and harvesting
and threshing about 60-70 per cent for rice and wheat and less than 15 per cent for other
crops). The level of farm mechanization varies greatly region to region. Northern states such
as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have high level of mechanization (70-80 per
cent overall; 80-90 per cent for rice and wheat) due to high productive land as well as
declining number of agriculture workers and also full support by state government. The
eastern and southern states have lower level of mechanization (35-45 per cent) due to smaller
and scattered land holdings. In the north-eastern states, the level of farm mechanization is
extremely low mainly due to hilly topography, high transportation cost, and socio-economic
conditions of the farmers.
The farm mechanization has been well-received throughout the world as one of the most
important elements of modernizing agriculture. The level and appropriate selection of
agricultural machinery has direct impact on land and labour productivity, farm output and
income, environmental safety and the quality of life of farmers in India. Agricultural
machines also ensure timeliness of farm operations and increase work output per unit time.
Suitability to small and medium farms, simple design and technology, versatility for use in
several farm operations, affordability in terms of cost and profitability and most importantly,
repair and maintenance services are the basic requirement for the expansion of farm
mechanization.
Year Cropping
Intensity
(%)
Food grain
Productivity
(t/ha)
Power
available
(kW/ha)
Power per unit
Production
(kW/t)
Net sown area
per Tractor (ha)
2005-06 135.90 1.715 1.49 0.87 45
2010-11 140.50 1.930 1.78 0.92 34
2011-12 141.50 2.079 1.87 0.90 31
2012-13 140.90 2.129 1.94 0.91 29
2013-14 142.00 2.111 2.02 0.96 27
Women workers in agriculture
World 42%
Latin America 40%
Thailand 44%
Vietnam 61%
India 60%
Sub Saharan Africa 80%

5. Comparison of Mechanization with Other Countries
Sl.
No.
Country Farm Power
(kW/Ha)
No. of Tractors
per 1000 Ha.
No. of Combine Harvesters per
1000 Ha.
1 India* 2.02 37 0.026
2 Japan 8.75 461.22 236.98
3 U.K. 2.50 88.34 8.3
4 France 2.65 68.5 4.93
5 Italy 3.01 211.08 4.71
6 Germany 2.35 79.817 11.41
7 Argentina -- 10.74 1.79
8 Brazil -- 13.66 0.915
9 China -- 6.98 2.53
10 Pakistan -- 16.47 0.08
11 Egypt -- 30.7 0.79

6. The Indian farm mechanization market, which was valued at ₹320 billion in 2015-16, is
expected to upsurge at a CAGR of 5.74% at reach ₹400 billion by 2019-20. Shortage of farm
labor and the need to enhance farm productivity are among the main reasons for increasing
farm mechanization in India. However, farm mechanization provides different streams of
employment related to handling of farm machines thus resulting in increased rural
employment. Increased farm mechanization is a key step towards doubling farmer’s income
and better rural prosperity. The availability of abundant and cheap labor in India has largely
confined farm mechanization to tractors and power tillers. While tractors and power tillers
still outsell other farm equipment like paddy transplanters and combine harvesters, the gap
has closed in recent years. It is because of rural youth population is migrating to cities in
search of better paying jobs in services and factories. This is creating a big market for
specialized machineries, such as threshers, rotavator, transplanters, reapers, zero till drills,
laser levellers and power weeders.
Level of mechanisation and GDP in different countries
Tractor trade in India

7. The penetration of power tillers in India is higher in southern and eastern India as compared
to the others parts of the country on account of the small size of land holdings per farmer in
these respective regions. In fact, small land sizes and high cost of labor, coupled with rising
income levels in rural areas, provide a huge untapped opportunity.

8. No of tractor per 1000 ha of net cropped Areaz

9. Level of mechanisation in different countries of INDIA
In India, the level of mechanisation varies greatly by region. States in the north such as
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have high level of mechanisation due to the highly
productive land in the region as well as a declining labour force. The state governments in
these states have also provided timely support in promoting mechanisation of farms. The
western and southern states in the country have a lower level of mechanisation due to the
smaller land holdings prevalent in these regions as well as the land holding being more
scattered. As a result, in many cases, mechanisation has been uneconomical leading to the
lower development. In north-eastern states, the level of mechanisation is extremely low.
There are a number of reasons behind this. Factors such as hilly topography, high
transportation cost, lack of state financing and other financial constraints due to socio-
economic conditions and dearth of agricultural machinery manufacturing industries have
hindered the growth of farm equipment sector within these states. Operation-wise, the level

10. of mechanisation varies from 42 percent for soil working and seed bed preparation, 29
percent for seeding and planting, 34 percent for plant protection and 37 percent for irrigation.
Within the tractor market, the 41-50 HP segment is the largest selling unit, followed by the
31-40 HP segment, which has been sourced mainly from the > 50 HP segment. While the
country produces a large volume of tractors, it also exports tractor units to other countries
across the world. On an average, the country exports an average of 60,000 tractors annually.
India’s tractor export markets primarily include African countries and ASEAN countries
where soil and agro-climatic conditions are similar to India. The major players in the market
include, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE, VST, International Tractors, Force Motors and
Escorts.
Association is ready to offer all kinds of cooperation to promote the
agricultural Mechanization all over India.
1. Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (AMMA – India)
2. Tractor Manufacturers’ Associations (TMA)
3. Power Tiller Manufacturer’s Associations (PTMA)
4. All India Combine Manufacturers’ Associations (AICMA)
5. Pump Manufacturer’s Association (PMA)

11. BENEFITS OF FARM MECHANIZATION
1. Timeliness of operation
2. Precision of operation
3. Improvement of work environment.
4. Enhancement of safety
5. Reduction of drudgery of labour
6. Reduction of loss of crops and food products
7. Increased productivity of land
8. Increased economic return to farmer
9. Improved dignity of farmer
10. Progress and prosperity in rural areas
Constraints in farm mechanization
It is true that farm mechanization has shown good results as of raising the agricultural
production and improving the standard of living of cultivators within very short period. But a
number of arguments have been advanced against farm mechanization such as:
1. Small size and scattered holdings of the farmers stand in the way of mechanization. As a
result of this, farm machinery generally remains underutilized.
2. Majority of small cultivators are poor who are not in a position to purchase the costly
machinery like tractors, combine harvesters etc.
3. The use of tractor operated machinery may render some of the draft cattle population
surplus. Studies under AICRP on Energy Requirement indicate that tractor owning farms do
use draft animals for certain jobs. Like-wise farms using animate sources of farm power, use
tractor on custom service for certain jobs.
4. The farm machinery have large turning radius and thus require comparatively larger farm
for economical use. Mechanization may lead to structural change in
agriculture in respect of the occupational distribution in the rural economy. No doubt, the
increasing farm mechanization is going to increase employment in secondary and tertiary
sectors but it does displace labour in farm operations.
5. Lack of proper knowledge of farmer to purchase farm machinery, operate and maintain it
properly leads to wrong choice, makes it uneconomical and risky too.
6. There is great shortage of diesel in the country as a whole. Thus, to use so extensive oil
based farm machinery is not desirable.
7. The lack of repair and replacement facilities especially in the remote rural areas is another
hindrance in efficient small farm mechanization.
8. Due to the seasonal nature of the agriculture, the farm machinery remains idle for much of
the time.

12. REFERENCES
https://icfa.org.in/assets/doc/reports/RTC_Farm_Mechanization.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270838595_Farm_Power_Availability_on_Indian_
Farms
http://ficci.in/spdocument/20682/agrimach.pdf
https://www.biotecharticles.com/Agriculture-Article/Status-of-Farm-Mechanization-in-
Indian-Agriculture-4468.html
https://www.slideshare.net/essp2/farm-machinery-uses-and-agricultural-machinery-
industries-in-india-status-evolutions-implications-81495606
http://www.un-csam.org/PPTa/201509ReCAMA/4IN.pdf