State issues notification to set up 500 custom hiring centres, 1,500 farm machinery hubs

Kolkata: The state Agriculture department has issued notification for setting up 500 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) and 1,500 farm machinery hubs at Gram Panchayat level (GP) in next two years under farm mechanisation scheme, offering modern farm machineries to farmers at affordable rental charges.

This has been done in pursuance to the announcements made in state Budget for 2024-25 that was presented in the state Assembly last month. In addition to 2,000 CHCs and farm machinery hubs, one lakh farm machineries to individual farmers will also be provided with financial assistance of 50-60 per cent of cost out of Agriculture department Budget under farm mechanisation.

Operational guidelines and notification of the scheme issued with concurrence of the Finance department will be effective from April 1, 2024.

The state government has taken several initiatives to promote the use of modern farm mechanisation and farm implements in agriculture since 2012-13 on subsidy under umbrella schemes of farm mechanisation launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The state Agriculture department released Rs 20 crore to districts for the purpose in this month over and above Rs 90 crore that have been released earlier in the current financial year till February 2024. 180 CHCs have been approved under the scheme in the current financial year. Further, 30 CHCs have been sanctioned now and funds released to districts to be transferred to bank accounts of selected FPOs/ Farmers.

75 farm machinery hubs have also been approved to different FPOS/FPCs in current financial year with financial assistance of 80 per cent or maximum upto Rs 8 lakh for cost of purchase of farm machineries. More than 30,000 modern farm machineries like tractors, power tillers, solar pumps, mini dal mills, oil mills, seed drills, threshers and sprayers etc were distributed to farmers with financial assistance of 50-60 per cent of the cost provided by the state under the Farm Mechanisation scheme this year. Additional budgetary provisions of Rs 450 crore for setting up 500 CHCs and 1,500 farm machinery hubs at GP level across districts in next two years will improve access of modern farm machineries to farmers at affordable charges and create employment opportunities to youth, women SHGs, PACS and FPOs in rural areas in a big way.

Since inception of the Farm Mechanisation scheme, a total of 5.29 lakh farm machineries have been distributed so far with the subsidy amount of Rs 950 crore.