Centre mandates waterproofing check for tractors utilized in wetland cultivation

New Delhi: With the sowing of kharif crops, significantly paddy, recording an uptick, the federal government has determined to make the waterproofing check necessary for tractors utilized in wetland cultivation, generally known as puddling, two officers conscious of the matter stated.

This check is designed to guage a tractor’s means to function successfully within the moist and difficult situations of paddy fields, guaranteeing their performance isn’t compromized. This transfer is a part of a broader effort to modernise Indian agricultural tools and improve productiveness within the crucial farm sector, they stated, requesting to not be recognized.

The brand new requirements have been ready by the Bureau of Indian Requirements (BIS), guaranteeing they meet the necessities of Indian agriculture whereas aligning with worldwide practices like these outlined in OECD (Group for Financial Co-operation and Improvement) Code 2, which is a algorithm for testing tractors. The codes are used to certify tractors and their protecting constructions.

The waterproofing check

The waterproofing check will assist enhance reliability and effectivity of tractors, benefiting farmers engaged in paddy cultivation and different wetland farming actions, the primary particular person stated.

Queries emailed to BIS and the Tractor Producers Affiliation remained unanswered until press time.

These modifications purpose to make the rules extra complete and in sync with international developments in agricultural practices and applied sciences, this particular person added.

This transfer assumes significance provided that the Indian tractor market is projected to swell to $10.4 billion by 2027, from $6 billion at the moment. Nevertheless, in FY24, the home tractor trade reported an 8% decline in gross sales quantity to eight.7 lakh items on account of erratic and poor rainfall, which delayed crop harvests and decreased sowing actions.

“The waterproofing check for tractors checks if water can enter the tractor’s elements, just like the axle housing, throughout use. The tractor is pushed by means of water at a sure stage for a number of hours, after which it’s inspected for any leaks,” stated C.R. Mehta, director, Indian Council of Agricultural Analysis’s (ICAR) Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal.

“This check makes positive the tractor works nicely in paddy fields throughout puddling. If the seals aren’t good, water can get into the parts and trigger harm. Testing helps make sure the tractor is dependable for such duties,” Mehta stated.

Puddling is a course of used to arrange fields for paddy cultivation. It includes plowing the sphere whereas it’s moist to create a smooth, muddy layer. This course of helps keep correct water stage required for paddy fields and suppresses weed progress throughout the sowing interval.

“This transformation has been mandated contemplating the truth that the usage of tractors for agricultural functions is rising. Obligatory testing will enhance the effectivity of the tools and assist farmers improve their revenue by decreasing the time wanted for numerous duties,” the second particular person stated.

Kharif cultivation

Aided by good monsoon rains, the acreage beneath kharif crops has risen 1.87% year-on-year to 110.85 million hectares (mh) as of 27 September, surpassing the five-year common.

Protection in 2023 was 108.82 million hectares. The present sowing of kharif crops, together with paddy, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane and cotton, surpassed the five-year common of 109.6 mh by 1.14%.

India is ready to supply file Kharif crops this 12 months, as per first advance estimates launched by the agriculture ministry on 5 November 2024. The manufacturing of whole summer-sown foodgrains, or cereals, for 2024-25 is projected to be 164.7 million tonnes, about 6% increased in comparison with earlier 12 months’s output of of 155.4 million tonnes.