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Status of farm mechanization, constraints & prospects

Status of farm mechanization, constraints & prospects

Farm mechanization in Sikkim is almost nonexistent. Due to very steep slopes the terraces are narrow and at times with vertical interval of almost 6-7 ft. As such even the scope for use of power tillers is limited to a few pockets. The large sized bullock drawn equipments like 3 row seed drills also cannot be effectively used due to narrow & tapering terraces and the weight factor. The land preparation to harvesting is normally done manually with traditional methods.

The traditional method of broadcasting or sowing along the furrows is practiced all over the state. The Department has tried out some of the bullock drawn seed drills but it hasn’t been found very effective. The topography also doesn’t allow for construction of large irrigation channels and for use of large harvesting machineries

The farming in Sikkim is mostly done on subsistence level. In the absence of good marketing facility the farmers grows a little bit of everything that he requires. There is scarcity of good post harvesting processing & storage facilities.

Of late, the Department is concentrating more on farm level processing of agricultural products and has been providing small sized processing machineries like grinder, rice hullers, oil expellers etc on subsidy basis so that the farmers can process their products at Farm level/ village level so that they fetch better price in the markets.


Constraints:

  • Sikkim has a very little cultivable flat lands
  • Most of the cultivation done in either sloping fields or in narrow terraces
  • Terraces are narrow often with average width of about a meter and with vertical interval above 1 mtr
  • Terraces not uniform in width and tapering at both sides hence very unsuitable for using any heavy machineries.
  •  Mostly Marginal Land Holders
  • Large land Holders do not necessarily go for cultivation. They have Cardamom Field/ lease their land to tenants.
  • Low investing capacity of these small farmers/ tenants.
  • Farming done at subsistence level.
  • High cost of inputs.
  • Almost all equipments are designed for flat lands.
  • Tilling, intercultural & sowing equipments are specific to type of land and those designed for plain lands does not necessarily suit Hill agriculture.
  • Modifications needed before these machineries designed for the plains can be replicated in the hills.