‘Exempt sales and service of farm equipment from lockdown’

Farm machinery makers are seeking exemption from the lockdown to run their revenue and company centres to cater to the farmers’ need throughout the rabi harvest year.

Crops this sort of as wheat and gram are all set for harvest across big parts of North India.

The Centre has exempted farm inputs this sort of as fertilisers, seeds and pesticides from lockdown. Though the inter- and intra-Condition movement of farm machinery this sort of as brings together and harvesters, the implementation of the order is lousy on the ground. “We are urging the Authorities to look at inserting farm machinery in the exempt classification and permit operations of revenue and company centres,” reported Shenu Agarwal, CEO of Escorts’ Farm Equipment company.

Farmers would need the need of company centres to get their tractors and other equipment fixed forward of the harvest year. Any equipment purchased two decades back wants some fix or company. Moveover, equipment this sort of as threshers, which are utilized only throughout the harvest year, wants upkeep in advance of they could be set to use. Also, some farmers would like to acquire some new equipment or spares to carry our their harvest and the subsequent sowing operations, Agarwal reported.

Though States this sort of as Haryana and Bihar have exempted farm machinery from lockdown, points are different on the ground. As a end result, men and women are not permitted to run their revenue and company centres. “We are trying to request the regional authorities in these States to permit the sale and company of farm equipment,” Agarwal reported.