Agriculture department seeks report on use of subsidised farm equipment in Punjab

This machinery included balers, which collects and makes bales of paddy stubble, choppers and shredders, which cut the straw into small pieces after harvesting, Mulcher, which is used for mixing the straw with the soil, Rotavator, MB Plough, Happy Seeder, Zero Till drill and so on. 

The Punjab agriculture department has sought a report/survey pertaining to the present status and usage of residue management farm machinery provided on subsidy to farmers/farmer groups, as well as primary agriculture cooperative societies/farm machinery in the past five years. This comes after the department was informed that this machinery was instead being used in other states such as Haryana and Rajasthan.

The department has sought details of such subsidised implements purchased in the past five years along with the name of the implement, amount of subsidy on it and the area where this machinery was proposed to be used.
A letter in this regard was sent by the department to agricultural officers across the state recently.

Sources said the agriculture department came to know that several farmers, cooperative societies etc., which have availed the good subsidy on machinery from Punjab government, have been running it in neighbouring states instead of Punjab where huge area is under paddy crop and nearly 197 lakh tonnes paddy straw is produced annually.

This machinery included balers, which collects and makes bales of paddy stubble, choppers and shredders, which cut the straw into small pieces after harvesting, Mulcher, which is used for mixing the straw with the soil, Rotavator, MB Plough, Happy Seeder, Zero Till drill and so on.” “Farmers, farmer groups, cooperative societies and farm machinery banks have availed themselves of subsidies from the Punjab government to purchase these machines but we came to know that some of the machinery is being used in other states instea”,” said Manmohan Kalia, joint director, Punjab Agriculture Engineering wing.