Government to Set-Up Custom-Hiring Centres to Boost Farm Mechanization

The Andhra Pradesh government is launching Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) in a significant way across the state in an effort to ease the burden on farmers by enhancing agricultural mechanization.

For the advantage of farmers, agriculture inputs such as tractors would be made available at CHCs. Due to the high cost of purchasing a tractor and harvester, the state government is making them available through CHCs.

The decision to make innovative and expensive agriculture tools available in the neighbourhood is likely to be a game-changer for small and marginal farmers who could not otherwise afford to invest.

Today in Guntur, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will flag off the tractors that will be put at Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) across the state. 

The agricultural department purchased 3,800 tractors and 380 common harvesters for farmers. Farmers will be able to use the services of tractors and harvesters thanks to CHCs.

In addition, the chief minister would dedicate 5,100 CHCs built at a cost of ₹470 crore to the service of farmers all at once. The state government intended to build over 11,000 CHCs in the villages, immediately adjacent to the existing Rythu Bhrosa Kendras (RBKs). CHCs would be built with a budget of ₹1,600 crores set aside by the state government.

The majority of them would be built in the paddy-growing districts of East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Srikakulam, Nellore, and Kurnool, respectively. At a cost of ₹400 crore, the state government purchased roughly 1,600 combined harvesters.

"The state government will provide 40% of the subsidy, while farmers' associations will get 10%. The remaining funds will be provided through an APCOB loan that will be returned through the collection of nominal tool rents "C Harikiran, the agricultural special commissioner, stated.