Agriculture dept distributes over 13,500 farm equipment

Officials said the equipment was distributed under the government’s farm mechanisation schemes. “The government has established 77 agricultural machinery custom hiring centres with a subsidy of Rs 59.28 crore during 2022-23. These centres include 47 combine harvesters, 102 tractors, 2,567 power tillers, 228 solar pump sets, 144 multi-crop threshers, 23 maize sheller/threshers, 12 rice transplanters, 1,249 rotavators, 690 power weeders, 39 potato diggers, 21 mini oil mills and 180 mini rice mills,”  an official said.

West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said, “The process of farm mechanisation in Bengal started after CM Mamata Banerjee came to power. There were no skilled workers who could be capable of being a part of the mechanisation system earlier. The workers, who came from Haryana and Punjab, had high rates at that time and the local workers were deprived of their profits. CM Mamata Banerjee then started a training centre here in Bengal. Over 150 people have already successfully completed their training and have started teaching at the centre.’