Farmers go for farm mechanisation in Kadapa

Kadapa : Due to shortage of farm labourers , the farmers of the district are adopting to farm machinery. According to the sources around 5lakh farmers in the district have taken up paddy commercial and horticulture crops in 1 lakh hectares during the monsoon season. Most of the construction workers have been migrated to other states for livelihood and several others have shifted to other occupations.

Introduction of the NREGS intensified the shortage problem of farm labourers as they prefer to work under the scheme. The farmers go to far off places like Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Godavari districts to get farm workers in the crop yield season.

Adequate number of workers are not available locally and those available demand high daily wages. The state government is encouraging farmers by offering instruments on subsidy like rotators, cultivators, mould board ploughs, seed-cum-fertiliser drills mini tractors, inter cultivators and other equipment.

``We have no option except to adopt farm mechanisation as it has become difficult task for securing labour for agriculture operations," said A Krishna Reddy of Venkatasettypalle of Atluru mandal.

According to the official sources, following directions of state government Agriculture department has sent proposals Rs 65crores under Modern Agriculture Mechanisation(MAM).

These instruments would be provided under Cultivation Budget and Rashtreeya Vikas Yojana(RVY) at 70per cent subsidy rates. Sources disclosed that 20,275 farmers were selected under the schemes for distribution of farm equipment on subsidy basis.

Joint Director of Agriculture J Murali Krishna said that under these schemes farmers have to form groups to purchase heavy instruments like transplantation machines, harvesters, power weeding machines, Inter cultivators etc.

" With the many farmers showing interest to adopt farm mechanization, the state government is keen on providing the instruments to the farmers at low cost,'' he said.