West Bengal Launches Farm Mechanisation Program with Subsidized 25,000 Modern Equipment Units

The State Agriculture Department has kicked off its annual drive for farm mechanization, aiming to provide 25,000 affordable farm machinery and offer financial assistance of up to 60% of the purchase cost.

An impressive allocation of Rs 110 crore has been marked to support selected beneficiaries in acquiring modern farm equipment, agricultural implements, and the establishment of oil mills, dal (pulse) mills, solar pumps, and Custom Hiring Centres (CHC).

To participate in this initiative, interested farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and FPOs/PACS can submit their online applications through the https://matirkatha.net portal until September 25. Additionally, those seeking guidance can approach the Assistant Director of Agriculture offices at Blocks/Bangla Sahayata Kendra (BSK) for application submission.

The department has streamlined the process, ensuring that applications received by the deadline will undergo screening at the block level and expect approvals from the District Level Sanctioning Committee, chaired by the District Magistrates, within a month. The entire process, from application to assistance settlement, is conducted seamlessly through the dedicated portal.

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The State Farm Mechanisation scheme, initiated in 2012-13 under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has witnessed remarkable success. To date, a total of 4.90 lakh machineries have been distributed, amounting to a subsidy of Rs 830 crore.

Under this scheme, beneficiaries receive one-time assistance (OTA) covering 50% of the purchase cost for manually operated farm implements such as plows, paddle threshers, and chaff cutters, with a maximum cap of Rs 10,000.

On the other hand, machinery powered by electricity, such as solar pumps, rice transplanters, power tillers, maize threshers, agricultural drones, multi-crop threshers, mini oil mills, dal mills, and power sprayers, are eligible for financial support ranging from 50% to 60% of the acquisition expense, capped at a maximum of Rs 3 lakh. This aid is directly credited to the beneficiary's account through the DBT (direct benefit transfer) mechanism.

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Moreover, the scheme facilitates bank-linked subsidies, offering up to 40% of the project cost for establishing CHCs as common facilities that provide machinery to farmers on a rental basis. This year, the scheme also promotes the establishment of farm machinery hubs at the Gram Panchayat level by FPOs, PACS, and SHGs, offering a subsidy of 80% of the project cost, up to Rs 10 lakh. This comprehensive approach to farm mechanization is set to significantly boost agricultural productivity and promote modernization in the sector.

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