Farmers get up to 70pc subsidy on buying tractors

It is often not easy for all farmers to buy tractors because it is expensive. Since tractor has now become important for farm-related works, farming can no longer be imagined without it. Even if a farmer does not have his own tractor, he takes it on rent and does other agricultural work ranging from ploughing land. Keeping this in mind, the state governments and the central government give huge subsidies to farmers to buy tractors. Farmers of a certain state get up to 70 per cent subsidy for this.

Jharkhand government has recently decided to launch a tractor distribution scheme for farmers. An initial provision of Rs 80 crore has been made for this scheme. Under the scheme, farmers will be given 50 per cent subsidy on the cost price for purchasing tractors. Farmers will have to bear the expenses related to registration and insurance including GST. The target is to distribute 1,112 tractors in the first phase of the scheme.

This scheme will be implemented as soon as it gets the approval of Hemant Soren cabinet and farmers will be able to apply for it. Under the scheme, priority will be given to those farmer groups or individual farmers who have at least 10 acres or more of cultivable land. The subsidy amount will be sent to the farmers' accounts. Farmers who want to avail the benefits of this scheme can submit their application through the district level committee.

Earlier, the Central Government had started the scheme of giving 50 per cent subsidy under PM Kisan Tractor Scheme. Other similar schemes have been started in many states under which subsidy is given to farmers buying tractors. Let us know how much subsidy is available in which state:

Assam ranks first in the subsidy given to farmers to buy tractors. The farmers here get subsidy of up to 70 per cent (about Rs 5.5 lakh) under the Mukhyamantri Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana.

The Rajasthan government gives 50 per cent subsidy to farmers on the purchase of tractors and other agricultural equipment. Apart from tractor, major ones include seed drill, seed cum fertilizer drill, disc plough, disc harrow, rotavator, multi crop thresher, ridge furrow planter, operated ripper, chisel plough, etc. Under the Yantra Lakshmi scheme in Telangana, farmers get 50 percent subsidy on purchasing machinery.

Madhya Pradesh government is also not lagging behind in giving subsidy on agricultural machinery. Farmers here get 20-50 per cent subsidy on purchasing small tractors under the Macro Management Scheme. This scheme is being run with the cooperation of the Centre. The government provides loans to farmers who want to buy expensive machines.

Farmers of Uttar Pradesh are given a subsidy of 25 per cent of the total cost and a maximum of Rs 45,000 for the purchase of tractors by the state government. Under the National Horticulture Mission, farmers in some districts of the state are being given a subsidy of up to Rs 1 lakh on the purchase of tractors. However, this subsidy is only for tractors up to 20 horse power.

Farmers of Gujarat are being given subsidy of 25 per cent in general category and 35 percent in special category for the purchase of tractors. Under the Farm Mechanization Scheme in Maharashtra, marginal and small farmers are being given the benefit of 35 per cent discount for purchasing tractors and 50 percent subsidy for other agricultural machinery.

Tamil Nadu government has launched a scheme to provide 40 per cent subsidy for the purchase of tractor, power tiller, seed drill, zero till, seed fertilizer, power spare etc. SC and ST farmers get 50 percent subsidy benefit.

On the purchase of agricultural machinery, a subsidy of 25 per cent is given by the Government of Kerala on the purchase of tractor under the Farm Mechanization System Scheme. Apart from this, loan is given for machines like rotavator, tiller etc.

Apart from these states, the governments of Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar also provide loans to farmers through banks to buy tractors and agricultural equipment at affordable rates.