Farm Mechanization has played a key role to bring a significant improvement in agricultural productivity in Punjab. Over the years, the Farm Mechanisation has significantly improved the productivity of crops and the efficiency of farmers by attaining more output with minimal labour, increasing cropping intensity and saving time & costs. Thus, the time and labour saved can be used by the farmer to endeavour into agriculture allied activities of dairy farming, poultry farming, beekeeping, fishing etc.
Happy Seeder in Agricultural fields
Photo credit: www.cimmyt.org
Present Status of Farm Mechanization in Punjab (https://agri.punjab.gov.in as cited on 21.04.2020):
a. Highest Farm Power Availability (2.6 Kw/Ha) in India (1.5 Kw/Ha).
b. Presently one Tractor for every 9 Ha of Net Cultivated Land of State (62 Ha National Average) i.e. 11% of the Tractors in the Country.
c. 95% Irrigated Area in the state.
d. Present Focus on Resource Conservation Technologies (RCT) Viz. Laser Land Levellers, Happy Seeder.
e. Agriculture Machinery Service Centers (AMSC) to hire farm machinery- a single window system and for repair /maintenance of machinery.
In the State, 4.50 lac tractors are being used for cultivation and 14.76 lac tube wells used for irrigation. The number of tractors, disc-harrows, self-propelled combines and tube wells has increased over the period and the status of the same between 2000-01 to 2018-19 is presented below:
Agricultural Machinery & Implements in Punjab (in ‘000’)
| Agricultural Machinery & Implements | | |
| Tractors | 395 | 450.2 |
| Disc-Harrow | 255 | 262.5 |
| Seed cum Fertilizer Drills | 180 | 141.5 |
| Combine Harvester (Self-Propelled) | 2.9 | 7.98 |
| Combine Harvester (Tractor driven) | 5.1 | 4.2 |
| Threshers | 285 | 88 |
| Tube wells | 1062 | 14.76 |
Source: Directorate of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Punjab
Paddy straw management through Agricultural Mechanisation
Paddy straw management is a major challenge for the state because of the air pollution caused by the burning of paddy straw. The government is promoting innovation on large scale for paddy straw management in State. This is due to the committed efforts of the State Government; the burning of paddy has reduced by 62% in 2017 and by 40% in 2018. Further, during 2018-19 under the Central government scheme of "Promotion of agricultural mechanisation for management of crop residue", around 11,900 agricultural equipments were distributed to individual farmers and 16,450 were given to the primary agriculture and co-operative societies and farmer groups to provide it to the farmers on a hiring basis.