Present Status and Future Prospects of Power Tiller Industry in Orissa, India

Orissa is one of the major rice growing states of India. The state covers an area of 15.54 mha with 6.00mha cultivable holding is 1.46 ha. The power input is much below the national average of 0.87 hp/ha. Recently, the Government of Orissa has accorded equal status to Agriculture as given to the Industry with determination to increase the power input for agricultural production to2.54 hp/ha so as to obtain an average rice productivity of 3.0t/ha. Appropriate power units so as to be available with in the purchasing power of the small size farm owners in lieu of a pair of bullocks appear to be the right approach and is found to be in line with the highly successful Japanese and Korean model of small farm mechanization . The state needs 0.25m units of small tillers and tractors per year. The present population of tractors and power tillers in the state is about 11000nos. In India, two manufactures in collaboration with Japanese firms started manufacturing of power tiller sin 197 . The present production of power tillers in the country is about 1000 unit per year which is inadequate to meet the demands of all the stats. To meet the demands of the Orissa state, three Chinese model power tillers imported by local agencies are being supplied to the farmers during the past two years. Encouraged by the demand of power tillers in the state, three local manufacturing units located at Bhubanewar have come up with their own model of light weight power tillers(1.5 to 3.0 hp) during the past one year. These machine have been evaluated in the farms of the university and have been found to be promising . There is a target of supplying during 1996-97. The local manufacturers are in need of international collaboration for technical knowhow to manufacture these machine economically to meet the requirement of the farmers.