Role of Farm Mechanization in Production Agriculture in India

Diverse farm mechanization scenario prevails in the country due to varied size of farm holdings and socio-economic disparities. Indian agriculture continues to be dependent upon human and draught animal power. Animate power contributed 92% of the total farm power in 1960–61 and mechanical and electrical together contributed only 8%. By 1999–2000, the contribution of animate power came down to only 19% and from rest of the sources such as tractors, power tillers, electric motors and diesel engines; it increased to 81%. Potential farm power available per unit cultivated land from all sources (animate and mechanical) increased form 0.32 kW/ha in 1965–66 to 1.15 kW/ha (net-cropped area basis) in 1997–98. Even with not much increase in cropping intensity and area under irrigation, the land productivity (for food grains only) has gone up by 144% since 1965–66. From 0.636 t/ha in 1965–66 to 1.554 t/ha in 1997–98. This was possible due to introduction of high yielding varieties and need based farm mechanization.