India Needs to Mechanize Agriculture

NEW DELHI - Jan 28/10 - SNS -- India must make more effort to mechanize its agriculture, argued Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas while inaugurating the 3-day Convention of Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Mechanization in sugarcane cultivation with use of specific machinery, particularly sugarcane harvesters needs to be given emphasis. The Minister asked the agricultural engineers to accord priority to mechanization of hill agriculture and small farms by introducing light and low- cost power tools and machinery, to improve field operations.

He said some promising technologies have been successfully testing and they need to be demonstrated extensively for the adoption by the farming community. As energy and water are becoming scares technologies using less energy, less water and conserving soil moisture will become popular in the years to come, the Minister added.

Referring to future challenges to irrigated agriculture, the Minister called for research, development and capacity building in the area of irrigation and water management.

He said there will have to be significant investment in the training of engineers, scientists, extension agents and irrigators. Underlining the need for proper management of agricultural wastes and their subsequent disposal, Prof. Thomas said that a large amount of biomass is produced every year but the consumable portion constitutes only a fraction of the whole, be it plant or animal produce.

The agricultural by-products could be converted in useful products, adding to the income and reducing the negative impact on environment, Prof. Thomas asserted.