By SK.Vyas
Jalandhar, January 18, 2020: The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization scheme has garnered an overwhelming response from the district farmers this year as the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has received 443 applications from individual farmers for several types of machinery.
Besides this, 521 farmer machinery banks have also shown keen interest in types of machinery under 100 lakh machine package, 40 lakh machine package, 25 lakh machine package and 10 lakh machine package.
Divulging the details, the Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Nazar Singh said that machinery like a pneumatic planter, potato planter, potato digger, baler, and sprayer, laser leveler, high tech sugarcane harvester cum loader and crop residue management machinery being offered to the farmers on subsidy.
He said that Under SMAM scheme, the farmers belonging to the general category will get 40-per cent subsidy and SC/women/small and marginal farmers will receive a 50-per cent subsidy.
He said that first time under this scheme, five farmers also applied for high tech hubs, this hub includes sugarcane harvester cum loader.
Chief Agriculture Officer told that the scheme has been launched to promote agricultural mechanization among the farmers here.
He said that the farm machinery banks have been introducing high technology machinery to even common farmer with objective wheat straw management that involves the management of the residue in the field by sowing the next crop using the equipment.
He told that the state government is making the best efforts to provide hi-tech machines to each farmer under the scheme. He appealed to the farmers that they should come forward and adopt effective methods for its management through the latest techniques.
Besides, this also solves the problem of the labor shortage in the Punjab., he added.
Dr Singh told that after receiving the budget in the coming days, the draw will be conducted by prior intimation to all concerned applicants in the district.