Agriculture needs more automation

‘The decline in the prices of agricultural machinery, thanks to the recent cut in goods and services tax (GST) from 12-18 per cent to 5 per cent, is expected to impart the much-needed impetus to mechanisation in Indian agriculture.

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Doing field work mechanically, rather than manually, is warranted not merely to lessen dependence on human labour, which is turning scarce due to unabated migration from rural areas, but more so to ensure greater precision in farm operations to boost productivity and profitability. It also mitigates drudgery in farm work, which is driving the rural youth away from farming.

‘According to industry sources, the prices of tractors have plummeted by 40,000 to %60,000, depending on the horsepower range, as a result of lower GST. Power tillers have become cheaper by nearly 12,000. The machines being promoted to reduce the menace of stubble burning, such as the straw reaper, superseeder, and Happy seeder, have seen price cuts ranging from %10,000 to 220,000. The biggest fall — of over 1,872,000 — is in the cost of large-sized harvester-combines, used mostly by service providers for harvesting wheat and paddy.