Agriculture equipments in India

Agriculture equipments in India- In this present era of modernization one cannot deny the fact that machines have become an integral part of one's life. We use many machines and gadgets throughout the day. Which may include the use of a juicer to make juice in the morning to the use of mobile phone, cars, and other technologies till the time of sleep. Machines are mechanical devices which are used to change the direction or magnitude of a force. As a matter of fact, it is evident that imagining life without machines would be difficult because people have become so addicted to these mechanical devices. Machines are used in almost every area. What is the significance of machinery in agriculture? I am going to present some pros and cons of the use of machinery in agriculture.

In India agricultural land has decreased in past 6 decades but production has increased and now India is exporting many agricultural products to foreign countries. India is also a major exporter of tractors. Population of the country is increasing at a very fast rate so the main challenge now is to meet the food demands for such a large population. Since independence, there is a surge in grain production and it is because of the improved technologies and practices. India is a very diverse country with different cultures, climates and people so food habits of people are different and are according to the area they are living in. 

Agricultural Growth in India 

It started with the five years plan strategy and in 1960 high yielding varieties (HYV’s), fertilizers, agro chemicals, agro-machinery and new agricultural technologies were introduced. All this resulted in green revolution in the country. 

 Introduction of Machinery

In India, first tractor was brought in 1914 and in 1930 pump sets were introduced in the country. Till the time of independence Indian farmers were using bullock-drawn ploughs and wooden planks for pulverization. They were also using other hand tools like spades, pick axe, crowbars, hoe, sickle and chopper etc. Manufacturing of pump-sets started in the late 1950s. There were only 8000 tractors in India in 1950 and this number increased to 39000 in 1960. At that time, engines were being used for processing (grinding, rice-milling, floor making etc.) of food after harvest. 1960-1980 was a period when major chunk was being spent on developing irrigation facilities. As a result there was a significant increase in area under irrigation in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. After that many companies started manufacturing agriculture based machines and tools which are present today.

Following pictures are showing the harvesting or paddy with the help of labor and then with machinery:

Labor:

Machinery:

How agriculture machinery helps farmers:

1. Machinery helps to increase agricultural production as it eliminates the need of labor and it was also revealed in a study that one third agricultural production increases with the use of machinery.
2. It maximizes per man productivity and efficiency by decreasing the time to complete a task because machines work fast and reduce time of the task. 
3. Machines also help to increase yield on a limited area. Production can be increased significantly by replacing human labor with machines. 
4. It reduces the cost of work. Machines are available for almost every activity related to agriculture. 
5. Machines modify the social structure in rural areas and leads to commercial agriculture which is more profitable for farmers. 

Some problems in this case: 

1. Most of the farmers in India own short sized land and they cannot afford machines. 
2. Because of heavy population India is a labor rich country. This surplus of labor restricts the use of machinery. And machines also take over the labor requirements for agriculture which leads to unemployment. 
3. Along with human labor India also has surplus cattle. So this unused or limited used resource has proved to be bad for the country because then cattle are left by their owners when they are of no use and they can be seen roaming everywhere.
4. Indian farmers are mostly poor, illiterate and ignorant except some states so they are not aware of the use of modern technologies and machinery. 

After going through all the points it is evident that there are pros and cons of everything but efficient use of it will make it a boon for agriculture. Now a days, government has also started custom hiring services for farmers. Farmers can also start making groups and purchase machinery by contributing money and that group machinery can be used according to the needs of farmers which will eventually decrease the cost of production and will increase the profits.