Impact of farm mechanization subsidies on farmers
Abstract
The present study entitled “Impact of Farm Mechanization Subsidies on Farmers” carried out in Kagal, Karveer, and Hatkangle tehsils of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. A total 150 respondent farmers selected who had availed subsidy through a simple random sampling method and personally interviewed with the help of a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. The research was conducted in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, India, where sugarcane is a dominant cash crop, and use mechanization on various level of farming. The study followed an ex-post facto research design as the variables under investigation had already occurred and could not be manipulated. A structured interview schedule covering major aspects for assessment of the impact of farm mechanization subsidy on farmers in terms of change in adoption of farm machinery, reduction in input use cost, change in crop productivity, change in income and change in livelihood after availing subsidy. Based on the composite impact scores, the farmers were classified into three categories: low, medium and high. Results revealed that a majority (39.33%) of the respondents possessed a medium level of impact, followed by 32.67 percent with low impact, while 28.00 percent had a high level of impact. This distribution clearly reflects a significant balance among farmers, particularly in technical aspects such as market efficiecy, income managment, and adoption of mechanieries to use inputs, employement generation. The findings highlight the need for ensuring timely approval and release of subsidy amount, conducting awareness programmes and extension activities regarding subsidy schemes at the village level. Strenthen co-ordination between agriculture department, banks, and machinery dealers. Overall, the study emphasizes that agricultural subsidies, particularly farm mechanization subsidies, have positively contributed towards increasing adoption of modern machinery, reducing production costs, improving productivity, enhancing income and livelihood of farmers
Full Text
Tables and figures are in the full-text PDF.
Introduction
Farm mechanization has emerged as a critical strategy for improving efficiency, reducing hard work, and enhancing timely farm operations. Recognizing this, the Government of India and the state of Maharashtra have implemented various subsidy schemes to promote the adoption of farm machinery, especially among small, marginal, and resource-poor farmers. These subsidies aim to reduce the capital burden on farmers, encourage the use of modern technology, and bridge the mechanization gap between regions. Maharashtra, being an agrarian state with varied Agro-climatic zones, Government provides various subsidies to promote agricultural productivity for farmer's welfare. Despite the policy push, the reach and impact of such subsidies remain a matter of concern, influenced by factors such as awareness, accessibility, bureaucratic procedures, and farmer eligibility To systematically assess farm mechanization impact, a structured tool consisting of 40 validated statements was designed in consultation with subject matter specialists. Farmers' responses were taken as before mechanization and after mechanization which is categorized into three groups: Agree, Undecided and Disagree. The study evaluated impact across five key thematic areas: adoption, cost reduction in input use, crop productivity, income and livelihood. Together, these domains reflect a comprehensive impact of farm machinery for preserving soil fertility and preventing degradation (FAO, 2017). Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, and provide the financial assisatance to small and marginal farmers in Maharashtra to produce more efficiently. Findings from such studies are crucial for guiding extension systems and policymakers in developing need-based training and capacity-building initiatives. Strengthening farmer financially gives them a security to try various other mechanized machinery and fullfill the needs of family (Verma & Singh, 2023; ICAR, 2022) [12] .
Methodology
The present study was conducted in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, which holds a prominent position in the state's sugarcane production and use mechanization. The tehsils of www.extensionjournal.com Kolhapur district Kagal, Karveer, and Hatkanangle, were deliberately selected as the study area owing to their extensive sugarcane cultivation, high productivity, and better access to irrigation facilities. An ex-post facto research design was employed for the investigation. Kolhapur district consists of twelve tahsils: Karveer, Shahuwadi, Panhala, Hatkanangle, Shirol, Radhanagari, Kagal, Bhudargad, Chandgad, Ajra, Gaganbawda and Gadhinglaj. Among these Kagal, Karveer and Hatkanangle purposively selected based on the predominance of mechanization and beneficieries of mechanization subsidies. From each of these tehsil's five villages were identified based on the number of mechanization subsidies beneficieries, making a total of 15 villages. A simple random sampling technique used to select 10 respondent farmers from each village, resulting in a total sample size of 150 respondents for the study.
Results and Discussion
Overall impact of farm mechanization subsidy
As described in the previous paragraph on methodology, the impact farm mechanization subsidy was studied by examining changes in specific factors related to overall productivity and livelihood. In this research, the impact is considered as the dependent variable and was measured through changes which includes: A) Change in Adoption B) Cost reduction in Input use C) Change in Productivity D) Change in Income E) Change in Livelihood. These changes were calculated in terms of percentage to assess the effectiveness of farm mechanization subsidy in improving the overall performance of respondent farmers. To assess this, a structured impact statement was developed in consultation with subject matter specialists, incorporating 40 validated statements covering all essential aspects of impact of mechanization on farmers before mechanization and after mechnaization. The responses were categorized as Agree, Undecided, and Disagree to measure the depth of change among respondent farmers. The results indicate that a larger proportion of farmers achieved low to moderate savings in production expenses, whereas slightly more than one-fourth realized noticeable cost reduction. This suggests that the use of farm mechanization helped farmers reduce expenditure on major farm operations such as land preparation, sowing and tillage, although the magnitude of cost savings differed depending on the type of machinery used, farm size, cropping pattern, and the extent of machinery utilization. Based on the overall impact score, the respondents were classified into three categories of impact groups.
Change in adoption
Change in Productivity
The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents (39.33%) were categorized under the medium impact group, then by 32.67 per cent of the respondents who belonged to the low impact category. Where 28.00 per cent of the respondents were observed in the high category of impact
Conclusion
The majority of the respondents belonged to the middle age group, had secondary education, nuclear family, majority of the respondent were only farming as their occupation, small to marginal land holdings, majority of the respondents use river as their source of irrigation and had medium level of annual income. Most of them had medium levels of social participation, mass media utilization, risk preference, and had high level of economic motivation. The majority showed a low level of adoption and cost reduction in input use, while nearly half of the respondents had a medium level of change in Productivity, Income, and Livelihood. Overall majority of the respondent had medium level of the impact regarding farm mechanization subsidy. The findings of the study reveal that the farm mechanization subsidies programme has positively influenced farmers by increasing the use of modern farm machinery, reducing production costs, improving crop yield, and enhancing farm income. However, as most respondents experienced a medium level of impact, there is a need to improve the effectiveness of the programme. Simplifying the subsidies application process, ensuring timely approval and disbursement, reducing documentation, and expanding Custom Hiring Centers can help improve farmers' access to mechanization, particularly for small and marginal farmers.
References
- Babita. A study on impact of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) in Uttarakhand. M.Sc. (Ag.) thesis (Unpub). Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur; 2022.
- M.Sc. (Ag.) thesis (Unpub). Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Guntur; 2016.
- Barman S, Deka N. Impact of farm mechanization on income of farmers in Assam, India. 2018.
- Nigade DD. Impact of Kisan Credit Card scheme among the beneficiary farmers in Marathwada region. M.Sc. (Agriculture) thesis (Unpub). Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani; 2022.
- Sampath KM, Vasantha R, Sailaja A, Shivacharan G. Extent of use of agricultural implements and machinery by paddy and irrigated dry crop growers of Karimnagar district. Annals of Plant and Soil Research. 2015;17(4):129-132.
- Singh V. A study on impact of National Food Security Mission (NFSM) on productivity and income among the chickpea beneficiaries in Bemetara and Mungeli District of Chhattisgarh. M.Sc. (Ag.) thesis (Unpub). Department of Agricultural Extension, College of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur; 2017.
- Sudha CK. An analysis of the impact of bore well irrigation on farmers in eastern dry zone of Karnataka. Ph.D. thesis (Unpub). University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore; 2016.
- Tilgame ND. Knowledge and attitude of farmers towards Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Master's thesis (Unpub). Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani; 2021.
- Verma P. Studies on the effect of drip irrigation and fertigation in peach. Ph.D. thesis. Fruit Science. Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh; 2017.
- Verma R, Singh A. Soil health and sustainable agriculture: challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Environment and Agriculture. 2023;9(4):112120.
How this paper connects to the literature. Drag to explore, click any node to open that paper.