Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd. (TAFE), the country’s second-largest tractor manufacturer, is planning a plant in Telangana that will make high-end implements used in precision farming.
Discussions are under way with the State government and a memorandum of understanding for the project is likely to be signed by next month, TAFE President and COO-product strategy and corporate relations T.R. Kesavan said.
In the city for CII’s Agri Tech South 2018, he estimated the investment on the plant to be in the range of ₹100-200 crore.
Noting that the company was awaiting clearances with regard to the incentives that would be made available for the project, he said the government had offered land parcels for the project in several districts. The project would involve collaborations with electronic component suppliers and those working in the area of drones.
‘Replicating JFarm’
Besides the plant, which would be the first for the company and one of its kind in the country, TAFE is keen on establishing its JFarm, through which integrated farm solutions are provided, in Telangana.
Stating that TAFE wanted to replicate the JFarm success story across the country, he said the corporate social responsibility initiative helped empower farmers with advanced farm technologies to increase farm productivity.
TAFE’s Product Training Centre, a part of JFarm, trains farmers, dealers, dealer employees, mechanics and students in understanding and applying agriculture mechanisation, he said in a media interaction. The State Government has urged the company to set up the plant and assured that it would provide 50 hectares for JFarm. TAFE had first set up JFarm in early sixties in Tamil Nadu and a few years ago in Rajasthan. It was in talks with Assam and Karnataka government to set up a JFarm there.
Some of the locations shown to the company for the farm initiative in Telangana are in Mulugu, Rajanna Sircilla and Ranga Reddy districts.
TAFE, he added, was also in discussion to unveil its Farmer2Farmer initiative that connects farmer-owned and operated services to promote farm mechanisation among small and marginal farmers. The mobile app connects those owning tractors to farmers who want to engage the vehicle. Madhya Pradesh government is providing subsidies for small and marginal farmers, under a Central scheme for engaging tractors, through the initiative, something that a few other State governments were also keen on doing, Mr. Kesavan said.
