A STUDY ON IMPACT OF “BRINGING GREEN REVOLUTION TO EASTERN INDIA” (BGREI) PROGRAMME IN UBVZ OF ASSAM IN PROMOTION OF FARM MECHANIZATION
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Agricultural mechanization technology plays a key role in improving agricultural production in developing counties, and should be considered as an essential input to agriculture. In Assam most of the farm operations are done using animal power, hence, there is great scope of selective mechanizing in Assam where, small hand tools are used involving drudgery. In order to bring about a change, a programme under Farm Asset Building Activity has also been proposed under BGREI programme. The major component of the BGREI programme is farm mechanization, and promotion of farm mechanization has been recognized as one of the essential requirement and need of the hour for agricultural development in Assam especially in rice cultivation. Keeping this in view primarily, the present study entitled- “A study on impact of Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) programme in UBVZ of Assam in promotion of farm mechanization” was carried out in three district of Assam namely Golaghat, Johan and Sivasagar. The objectives of the study are as follows: OBJECTIVES:- 1. To assess the extent of utilization of farm machineries by the beneficiary and neighbouring farmers 2. To determine the level of knowledge on operation of different farm machineries and extent of adoption on scientific practices of applying farm machineries and tools in selected crops 3. To analyze the factors influencing the extent of utilization of farm machineries and tools. 4. To study the change in farming in terms of cropping intensity, cropping pattern, crop, diversification, intensification, productivity and profitability as a result of using farm machineries. 5. To identify the constraints face by the beneficiary and non beneficiary farmers in utilization and application of farm machineries and to pool suggestions thereof. A multistage purposive cum random sampling design was used for selecting 300 farmers as respondents. Approprite statistical methods were used for analysis and interpretation of data. The findings reveal that majority (57.33%) and (49.33%) of the BGREI beneficiary farmers and non-beneficiary farmers had medium and low level of utilization for farm machineries and tools respectively. Majority (68.67%) and (55.33%) of the beneficiary farmers and non-beneficiary farmers had medium and low level of knowledge on different farm machineries and tools respectively. Majority (60.00%) and (53.33 %) of the BGREI beneficiary farmers and non-beneficiary farmers belong to medium and low adoption category towards scientific practices of farm machineries and tools respectively. Paired “t” test was applied to compare between the BGREI beneficiaries’ farmers and non-beneficiaries farmers related to their extent of utilization of farm machineries and tools and it revealed that the beneficiary’s farmers had significantly higher utilization as compared to non-beneficiaries farmers. Likewise, beneficiary’s farmers had significantly higher level of knowledge on operation of farm machineries and tools as well as higher adoption on scientific practices of applying farm machineries and tools as compared to non-beneficiaries farmers. For extent of utilization of farm machineries and tools of the BGREI beneficiary farmers, correlation table revealed a positive and significant relationship between annual income, information source utilization, credit orientation, mass media and social media use and attitude towards farm mechanization. In case of non-beneficiary farmers, correlation table revealed a positive and significant relationship between social participation and labour
availability. For level of knowledge on operation of different farm machineries and tools of
the BGREI beneficiary farmers, correlation table revealed a positive and significant
relationship between information source utilization, credit orientation, scientific orientation
and attitude toward farm mechanization. In case of non-beneficiary farmers, correlation table
revealed a positive and significant relationship between age, annual income, scientific
orientation, extension contact and mass media and social media use. For extent of adoption
on scientific practices of applying farm machineries and tools of the BGREI beneficiary
farmers, correlation table revealed a positive and significant relationship between age, size of
operational land holdings, annual income, information source utilization, mass media and
social media use, and participation in farm machineries related training. In case of nonbeneficiary
farmers, correlation table revealed a positive and significant relationship between
size of operational land holdings, annual income, labour availability, mass media and social
media use, participation in farm machineries related training and attitude towards farm
mechanization.
Among economic factors, social factors, personal factors and organizational factors
subsidies availability, after seeing neighbours development, self-reliance or independence and
guidance from ADO respectively were the major factors influencing the extent of utilization
of farm machineries and tools for majority of the BGREI beneficiary farmers and nonbeneficiary
farmers. The changes has taken place for more than 50 per cent of the beneficiary
farmers in terms of cropping intensity, cropping pattern, crop diversification, productivity and
profitability. The constraints face by the beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers in
utilization and application of farm machineries and tools are as follows: Economic constraints
includes high initial cost of implements (Rank I), Infrastructural constraints includes non
availability of spare parts in nearby places (Rank I), Information constraints includes farmers
faced lack of skilled labour to operate farm machineries and tools (Rank I), The major
situational constraint faced by the respondents was most of the farm machines and tools were
not suitable for women farmer (Rank I) and frequent repairing (Rank I) was the most felt
technological constraint by the BGREI beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers