Mechanization in Legume Production and Prospects of Rural Transformation in India: A Case Study of Mechanical Harvesting of Chickpea

This study has evaluated financial viability of machines harvesting and threshing of chickpea in two major chickpea growing states of India, namely, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The information was collected from 60 chickpea growing farmers and 30 machine owners through survey in 2013–14. The study has revealed that only about 30 per cent of the sample farmers used machine for both harvesting and threshing, whereas, all the farmers used machines for threshing the crop. The net profit of mechanical harvesting and threshing over manual harvesting and machine threshing was 2,613/ha and 3,044/ha in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. Non-availability of erect type of chickpea varieties has been reported to be a major constraint to farmers in not being able to use harvesters for chick peas. The study has found investment on combined harvester to be financially attractive with benefit cost ratio and IRR of as 2.9 and 25.5 per cent, respectively and pay back period as 2.5 years. The custom hiring of machines has changed the scenario completely and hence, efforts should be made to popularize custom hiring of machines in the study area.