By Kokila Dhakal

Ilam, July 25: The local levels of Ilam have launched an initiative to provide agricultural tools at subsidised rates to the farmers to support in the mechanisation of agriculture.
Local levels have started distributing agricultural tools such as tractors, mini tillers and brush-cutters in a subsidised rate for commercialising farming.
As per their own agricultural policies, they have implemented farmer-oriented programmes to uplift the livelihood of the farmers and encourage them to take up the cost effective commercial farming.
Vice-chairman of Rong Gaunpalika of Ilam Chandrakala Rai said that they had developed agriculture programmes based on the demand of the farmers. They need machines like tractors to support in farming to address the shortage of manpower.
The Gaunpalika has distributed a tractor along with other five mini tillers to the farmers on Thursday as per its last fiscal year programme.
It has provided such agricultural tools in 75 per cent subsidy of Gaunkalika and 25 per cent cost sharing by the farmers, said Santosh Lepcha, chief of Agricultural Section of Rong Gaunpalika.
According to him, they provided a tractor of 18 horsepower capacity and cultivator to the Samunat Farmers’ Group of Rong Gaunpalika-2.
Similarly, they provided a mini tiller each to Sahayatra Farmers’ Group and Milemato Multi-purpose Cooperative in Rong -2.
Likewise, they provided a mini tiller each to Pakha Gaun Farmers’ Group and Small Farmer Jirmale Cooperative of Rong-1.
“The Gaunpalika has introduced such programmes to encourage the farmers towards the commercial farming and increase productivity. It has allocated Rs. 1 million for agricultural programmes for the current fiscal year,” said Lapcha.
It had allocated budget of Rs. 1.17 million for the distribution of agricultural inputs such as tractors and mini tillers to the farmers for the last fiscal year.
The farmers were happy after receiving the tractors and other agricultural tools at a subsidised rate for digging land and planting crops.
Chairman of Samunat Farmers Group Chandra Bhattarai said that use of technology for farming would reduce the production costs.
A total of 27 farmers are in the Samunat Farmers’ Group.
Bhattarai, who is planting paddy in around 18 ropanis of land, said that paddy transplanting and cutting machines were required as the farmers were facing a shortage of labourers during plantation and harvesting seasons.
The farmers who were planting paddy using oxen in the past years now are planning to use the tractors to plough the fields.
Suryadoya Municipality distributed 26 mini power tiller machines to farmers last fiscal year.