Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal.
Mechanization in agriculture holds the key for sustainable development in the terms of increasing the production by timely farm operations, reducing losses, reducing the cost of operations by ensuring better management of costly inputs and enhancing the productivity of natural resources besides it helps in reducing drudgery in farm operations. Mechanized agricultural practices and operations have been adopted by the farming community at varying level of adoption, which represents the varying scenario across different regions in the country. Farm Power is an essential input in agriculture for timely field operations for operating different types of farm equipment and for stationary jobs like operating irrigation equipment, threshers/shellers/cleaners/graders and other post harvest equipment. The source of farm power includes human, animal, tractors, power tillers, diesel engine and electric motor. Information about the availability of these power sources under time-series is very essential in planning and prediction level of farm mechanization as this directly and indirectly provides vast potential for manufacturers, entrepreneurs, sales and repair etc. During last 50 years the average farm power availability in India has increased from about 0.30 kW/ha in 1960–61 to about 1.60 kW/ha in 2008–09. Over the years the shift has been towards the use of mechanical and electrical sources of power, While in 1960–61 about 92.31% farm power was coming from animate sources, in 2008–09 the contribution of animate sources of power reduced to about 14.20% and that of mechanical and electrical sources of power increased from 7.70% in 1960–61 to about 84.80% in 2008–09. Food grains productivity is positively associated with unit power availability. It is visualized that the additional requirement of food grains in future will be met, to a great extent from the demand of tractors, power tillers and other machinery.
