Farmers to get 5,776 units of agricultural machinery by June

In the current financial year, 5,776 units of agricultural machinery including combined harvesters, reapers, and rice transplanters will be distributed to farmers across the country during the current Boro season.

As many as 510 combined harvesters and 231 reapers will be distributed to farmers in the haor regions for cutting and threshing paddy, said Agriculture Minister Md Abdur Razzak while virtually inaugurating an agricultural machinery distribution programme of the "Agriculture Mechanisation" project on Tuesday.

The equipment will be provided to farmers with a 50% subsidy across the country and a 70% subsidy in the haor and coastal areas, under the project worth Tk3,020 crore. The government's target is to distribute about 52,000 units of agricultural machinery between fiscal year 2020-21 and 2024-25.

In this connection, 5,776 units of farm machinery including 1,617 combine harvesters, 701 reapers, and 184 rice transplanters will be distributed to farmers in 500 upazilas across the country in fiscal year 2020-21.

Citing the project as a unique example, Abdur Razzak said the main goal of the government is to modernise the agriculture sector and make it profitable. The government has taken some initiatives and already implemented some steps for agricultural mechanisation.

 Agricultural Extension Department Director General Md Asadullah said it would have been possible to save Tk5,271 crore if Boro paddy on 48 lakh hectares of land had been harvested mechanically.