NAGAPATTINAM: Even as the announcement by the state government to give a 50 per cent subsidy to farmers for renting out harvest machines spelt relief, farmers in the districts of Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai have raised concerns over a lack of harvesters, pointing out that only two track model machines were allotted to the coastal delta in recent times. SR Tamil Selvan, a farmer representative from Nagapattinam, said, "Harvesters owned by private entities have been deployed here in aplenty.
However, we cannot avail subsidy for them. Hence, the authorities should deploy more government machines to strengthen its fleet in delta districts." The agriculture engineering department recently deployed two track model harvesters from the districts of Kanchipuram and Tirunelveli to Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam respectively, taking the total count of track model machines in the coastal delta to three.
Due to low rental charges, farmers prefer government machines to private tractors. While a track model machine is rented out at Rs 1,880, wheel models cost Rs 1,160; in contrast, private track models are capped at Rs 2,450 in Mayiladuthurai and Rs 2,400 in Nagapattinam. Meanwhile, private rental operators delivered dozens of machines from other states and increased the rental charges.
According to the farmers, the machines would take double the time to reap lodged paddy crops in fields dampened by rains. The farmers expressed hopes to rent out private machines at subsidised rates. An official from agricultural engineering department said, "We do not have any guidelines to subsidise private machines."