In order to lay special emphasis on farm mechanization and to bring more inclusiveness, a dedicated Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization for the XII Plan has been proposed with an estimated outlay of Rs.2000 crores for the entire plan period. The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization will provide assistance for Promotion and Strengthening of Agricultural Mechanization through Training, Testing and Demonstration, Post Harvest Technology and management; Procurement of selected Agriculture Machinery and Equipments; Establishment of Farm Machinery Banks for Custom Hiring; Establishing Hi-Tech Productive Equipment Centres to Target Low Productive Agricultural Regions and Assistance for increasing farm mechanization.
Farm power available per hectare of land is one of the important indices of progress in agriculture production and productivity. Farm power availability in Indian agriculture was 1.5 kW/ha in 2005-06 which is substantially lower as compared to developed countries like Japan, USA, UK, France and Germany. It indicates that India is behind the developed countries in terms of utilization of farm power which is mainly due to the fact that the guiding principle in mechanizing Indian agriculture has been to maintain a socially desirable mix of human labour, draught animals and mechanical power and growth of agricultural mechanization has been closely linked with overall agricultural development of different agro-climatic regions of the country.
There has been positive co-relationship between farm power availability and increased productivity. Those States where availability of farm power is more have, in general, higher productivity as compared to other states.
