PAU: "To reduce expenditure, encourage farmers to share machinery"

Punjab Agricultural University's (PAU) senior economist MS Toor believed that the issue of rising expenditure on agricultural machinery in Punjab could be checked by encouraging the farmers to share machinery.

Punjab Agricultural University's (PAU) senior economist MS Toor believed that the issue of rising expenditure on agricultural machinery in Punjab could be checked by encouraging the farmers to share machinery.

"As agricultural machinery is already in excess in the state, farmers must imbibe the habit of sharing machinery from each other or from the village cooperative society rather than buying every single machinery", MS Toor said.

"Go to any village of the state despite possibilities of sharing tractors and other required machinery every farmer owns his own tractor and if he does not own, he surely holds plans to buy his own. This culture is certainly whimsical and silently going against their welfare," Toor added. Commenting on the role the government could play in keeping the situation under check, Toor said "I feel the state government must come up with stringent laws and guidelines for this concern. For instance, only if a farmer owns a 20 acre farm land, should he be allowed to buy a tractor. This will also save huge capital of the farmers and directly benefit them."