Primary and Secondary Tillage Machinery
Tillage represents the foundational mechanical operation in agriculture, preparing pulverized, weed-free seedbeds for optimal seed germination and root penetration.
Primary tillage equipment cuts and turns deep soil layers, while secondary tillage machinery pulverizes clods and incorporates crop residue into the upper soil profile.
- Mouldboard (MB) Ploughs: Invert soil layers, bury surface stubble, and eradicate deep perennial weed roots
- Disc Ploughs: Heavy circular discs designed for hard, stony, and dry uncultivated terrain
- Rotary Tillers (Rotavators): PTO-driven rotating blades that pulverize soil into fine tilth in a single tractor pass
- Disc Harrows and Cultivators: Secondary tillage tools for clod breaking, seedbed leveling, and aeration
Precision Sowing, Planting, and Crop Protection
Precision sowing implements place seeds at calibrated depths and uniform row spacing alongside basal fertilizer bands, optimizing plant populations and seed use efficiency.
Modern crop protection equipment includes tractor-mounted boom sprayers and certified agricultural drones that apply pesticides accurately while reducing operator exposure.
- Seed-cum-Fertilizer Drills: Simultaneously sow seeds and band basal fertilizer at calibrated depths
- Zero-Till Seeders: Direct-drill wheat into standing paddy stubble without prior field tillage, saving fuel and time
- Paddy Transplanters: Mechanized riding and walk-behind units transplanting mat nursery seedlings at uniform hill density
- Agricultural Drone Sprayers: DGCA-approved drones applying ultra-low volume foliar sprays with GPS mapping
Harvesting Machinery, Subsidies, and Custom Hiring
Mechanized harvesting machinery—including multi-crop combine harvesters, reaper binders, and round straw balers—reduces crop harvest losses and curtails seasonal field labor bottlenecks.
Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM), the Government of India provides 40 to 50 percent capital subsidies for individual farmers and up to 80 percent assistance for establishing rural Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs).
- Combine Harvesters: Multi-crop self-propelled and tractor-mounted harvesters cutting, threshing, and cleaning grain
- Straw Balers: Compress and tie paddy and wheat straw into compact bales, mitigating crop residue burning
- SMAM Scheme: Subsidies on certified machinery channeled through state Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) portals
- Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs): Village-level rental hubs providing smallholder farmers access to modern machinery
Official source
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Common questions
What is the primary objective of the SMAM scheme in India?
The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) aims to promote farm mechanization among small and marginal farmers through capital subsidies and Custom Hiring Centers.
How does a Zero-Till drill help wheat farmers after the paddy harvest?
It sows wheat seed directly into standing rice stubble without preliminary ploughing, saving land preparation costs, conserving soil moisture, and allowing earlier sowing.
How can a small farmer access expensive farm machinery without purchasing it?
Farmers can hire tractors, transplanters, rotavators, and harvesters at subsidized hourly rates through village Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) and Farm Machinery Banks.
General guidance, not personal advice. For your farm, ask your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or agriculture officer.
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