Coordination meeting of Agriculture and Transport Departments on rental charges of rice harvesting machines ———————————————————————– Jangaon, September 29, Punnami District Representative: On Tuesday, a meeting was held between the Agriculture Department and Transport Department officials and harvester owners on the decision of hourly rental charges of rice harvesting machines (harvesters) keeping in mind the rice collection and harvesting season. On this occasion, the officials pointed out the need to give priority to the interests of the farmers and determine the rental charges of the harvesters in a manner that is favorable to them without causing any inconvenience or loss to the farmers. At the same time, they discussed the problems faced by the harvester owners, maintenance costs and other aspects and came to a decision with mutual understanding. The harvester owners said that since the rice harvesting machines are mainly used only for agricultural purposes, they requested the authorities to provide tax exemption instead of commercial tax on them. They appealed to provide tax exemption keeping in mind the expenses related to the maintenance of the harvesters and the services provided to the farmers. The meeting discussed the proper maintenance of the technical standards of harvesters so that there is no loss of grain during harvesting and the harvest is completed in a quality manner. It was especially suggested that the RPM (speed), fan blades, motor settings, etc. of the machines should be kept at the right level according to the crop. The officials explained the need to technically adjust the harvesters so that the grain does not fall on the ground, the grain in the crop is not wasted, and clean grain is obtained without any problems. It was suggested that appropriate precautions should be taken to prevent farmers from losing their crops due to negligence in the maintenance of the machines. It was felt in the meeting that awareness seminars should be held at the cluster level to provide farmers with a clear understanding of the prescribed rates for the rental of harvesters, the use of the machines, and the precautions to be taken during harvesting. It was suggested that awareness programs should be organized with the farmers under the auspices of the Agricultural Extension Officers (AEOs) and complete information should be provided to the farmers on the harvester rental charges, harvesting method, and technical aspects of the machines. This will increase mutual understanding between farmers and harvester owners, he said, and there will be an opportunity to move forward in coordination without any problems during the harvest season. He suggested that the relevant departments and harvester owners should work in coordination to ensure that the machines are available to farmers on time in the upcoming paddy harvesting season and that the harvesting is completed without crop loss. Harvester owners from Jangaon, Pembarthi and other mandals, officials and representatives of the relevant departments participated in this meeting.
