Present Status and Growth Rate of Utilization of Farm Power Sources in India

Availability of adequate farm power is very crucial for timely farm operations for increasing production and productivity and handling the crop produce to reduce losses. Farm mechanization inputs particularly tractor power has helped India in increasing the food grain production from mere 51 million tones in 1950–51 to 230 million tones in 2007–08 to meet the country's food requirements. Agricultural labour, animals, tractors, power tillers, diesel engines and electric motors are the major sources of power used for farm operations. Tractorisation, as backbone of farm mechanization, has played a pivotal role in bringing green revolution in the country. To determine the present status and growth rate of farm power, the secondary data on tractor population, number of agricultural workers, draught animals etc were collected to establish their relative trends in the past and in present scenario. Since the geographic condition and the agricultural practices of a region in India as a whole are not same, so, the state-wise for selected states, information on tractor power as major farm power source was gathered. During the last four decades, the average farm power availability in India increased from 0.40 kW/ha in 1971–72 to about 1.46 kW/ha in 2004–05. As the usage of tractors in Indian agriculture was accelerated the net power from tractors and draught animals reached at a level of 73.39 and 21.5 million kW in 2004–05.