TIRUCHY: With a severe shortage of agricultural labourers affecting every stage of farming, from sowing to harvesting, Tiruchy farmers have urged the state government to provide farm machinery at the lowest rent and highest subsidy to ease their burden. Despite the labour crunch, exacerbated by a shift towards MGNREGA jobs, farmers have managed to cultivate nearly three lakh acres.
However, small-scale farmers have been hit the hardest, as rising labour costs strain their finances. “To address this crisis, farmers should be given access to essential machinery, from harvesters to weeders, at minimal rental costs. The government must provide a subsidy of 75 to 100 per cent for purchasing tractors and harvesters.
This would not only help individual farmers but also allow them to share equipment with fellow farmers, reducing dependence on labour and lowering expenses,” said P Viswanathan, president of the Thamizhaga Eri Matrum Aatru Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam.
A Kandasamy, executive engineer of the agriculture engineering department in Tiruchy, told TNIE that the department rents bulldozers at Rs 1,230 per hour, significantly lower than the Rs 2,500 charged by private operators. Similarly, a tractor can be rented for Rs 500 per hour, while private players charge at least Rs 1,200.
“Farmers can purchase farm machinery such as harvesters, tractors, transplanters, power tillers, weeders, and balers with subsidies ranging from 40 to 50 per cent, depending on eligibility. In previous years, we struggled to convince farmers to adopt mechanised farming. However, the number of farmers willing to use modern equipment has now increased significantly,” he added.