AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS AND MACHINERY

The beginning of mechanisation of Indian agriculture was made by the use of improved hand tools and improved bullock-drawn implements. Particular stress was laid on these items during the first 3 Five year plans and slowly more sophisticated implements were introduced. These included power-driven threshers, tractors and the combine harvestors. Quite a variety of implements is required for carrying agricultural operations , starting from thr opening of the land to harvesting, threshing, winnowing and storage. These operations include ploughing, harrowing, levelling, sowing, intercultivation, application of fertilizers and manures, harvesting, threshing and winnowing.

A variety of desi implements are in use in the country for the last so many centuries. before efforts were made to introduce foreign implements a survey implements used in India was taken. Therefore under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research a country wide survey was carried out and its report was published. This has brought many facts to light. The number of implements used by the Indian farmer is very large. Some of these implements are crude to look at but are very useful and the consensus of the agricultural engineers of india has been that it would be easier at least as a first step to improve upon the indigenous implements in order to increase their efficincy and thus give to the Indian farmers something which is within their means.

To achieve this objective effectively, the Indian Council of Agricultural research has now established one research-cum testing and trining centre in each state. Some of them have now been converted into regional centres or have been taken over by the state governments. The object is to improve the indigenous agricultural implements, to design new implements and to test them in the field upto the prototype level. After the implements have proved to be useful, the prototypes can be given to manufacture in public or private sectors and the implements can be sold through them to the farmers.

Principles of research. In India, the holdings are generally small, the average farmer is poor, and the draft cattle are also small and ill fed. Taking these into account certain principles have been laid down which are:
1. that the implements and machinery for the Indian farmers should be simple in construction, so that they could be operated by the illiterate farmers, and should either be manufactured ar could be repaired by the village artisans or mechanics.
2. The prices of the implements should be within reach of the ordinary farmer. In case of power-driven equipment the difficulty of high cost can be overcome by giving the machinery on hire or hire-purchase system or on custom basis or on co-operative basis.
3. the implements should be light so that they can be easily transported and are suitable for the draft animals.
4. That the implements should be scientifically tested on a fairly uniform bais throughout India.
5. In designing the implements the local available materials are to be used. In the case of soil working and plant working parts durable materials such as carbon steel should be used.

To fulfil these requirements, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has also designed procedures for testing and designing implements and proformas in which the test data are to be listed. Quite a large number of farmers are using the power machines like tractors, oil engines and pumps. Thus the trend towards mechanised farming is bound to increase.

Recently, new developments have taken place to bring about mechanization of agriculture. Owing to the shortage of diesel oil and its increased price, the mechanical operation will have to be restricted to deep ploughing, land levelling, clearing land and other operations which cannot be carried out by bullock power. For short distances bullock carts are more effective than trucks;hence the necessity for improving them. The description of some improved implements is given in the following pages.