As a new leaf in the CSIR efforts to empower the Indian farmers, KrishiShakti – a small range (10-12 hp) tractor developed by CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur (one of the constituent laboratories of CSIR) has received CMVR Certification as an Agricultural Wheeled Tractor after rigorous trials and testing.
The Technology of KrishiShakti has been transferred to M/s Singha Components Pvt Ltd, Howrah, West Bengal, who would soon manufactureKrishiShakti. This would benefit Indian farmers possessing small land holdings. The development has bridged a long felt technology gap.
In India, about 85 per cent households cultivate about 36 per cent of entire cultivable land in the country. The average land holding of the small Indian farmer normally does not exceed even 1 hectare.
It is therefore quite difficult for the average Indian farmer to afford mechanized farming utilizing standard tractors of 35 hp and above ratings, which, in turn, tells upon the productivity and per unit yield.
As a result, there has been tremendous demand for developing small, compact and easily maneuverable tractors of rating of 10-12 hp, which are deemed fittest for small and fragmented land holdings.
CSIR’s KrishiShakti, a small 10-12 hp tractor, is an apt CSIR response to this necessity enabling farm mechanization in an affordable manner.
Furthermore, this small tractor and its matching implements are based on available diesel engine and available tractor parts in the market.
KrishiShakti is the latest in the legacy of CSIR interventions in enabling mechanized agriculture. In 1970s, with the onset of Green Revolution, the fledgling nation needed both manpower and machines for the agricultural sector.
CSIR made an impressive debut with SWARAJ, a 20 hp tractor. The know-how of SWARAJ was released to Punjab Tractors Ltd, Chandigarh who has been successfully manufacturing and selling it since 1974.
The SWARAJ tractor helped usher in mechanized agriculture. Today, nearly one million SWARAJ tractors till the Indian soil.
Later on, CSIR developed SONALIKA, a 35 hp tractor for medium and large land holdings. The know-how of SONALIKA was released to M/s International Tractors Ltd, Hoshiarpur, who has been successfully manufacturing and selling it since 2002.
