The Jharkhand government plans to establish custom hiring centres at the block level to provide farmers with agricultural machinery on rent and construct common concrete threshing floors in villages to ease post-harvest operations.
The initiatives were discussed at a review meeting of the Directorate of Land Conservation chaired by Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperation Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey at the Nepal House Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting also deliberated on increasing subsidies for large tractors and improving the technical capacity of departmental officials.
The proposed custom hiring centres will make modern agricultural equipment available to farmers without requiring them to purchase expensive machinery. The initiative is expected to particularly benefit small and marginal farmers by reducing cultivation costs and promoting mechanisation.
The minister also directed officials to prepare a proposal for constructing permanent threshing floors for collective use in villages. Farmers in several rural areas face difficulties in finding suitable spaces for threshing paddy and wheat and processing millets. The common facilities are expected to save time and labour while providing farmers with designated spaces for post-harvest activities.
The meeting also examined a proposal to increase the subsidy on large tractors. The government currently provides a 50 per cent subsidy, and officials discussed the possibility of enhancing the assistance to meet farmers’ requirements and encourage mechanisation.
Emphasising capacity building, Tirkey directed the department to issue an annual training calendar for all officials of the Directorate of Land Conservation. The initiative aims to improve their technical skills, familiarise them with new technologies and strengthen the quality and accountability of scheme implementation.
The review also considered suggestions submitted by district land conservation officers following a state-level workshop and training transformation programme organised by the directorate on August 13. The minister had sought written recommendations at the programme to improve departmental functioning and make schemes more effective.
Tirkey stressed that departmental initiatives must address farmers’ practical needs and deliver tangible benefits on the ground rather than remain confined to official paperwork.
Departmental Secretary Abubakar Siddiqui, Special Secretary Gopal Ji Tiwari and Director of Land Conservation Vikas Kumar attended the meeting.