The Hindu Business Line : SAS Motors launches 22-HP tractors in Gujarat

SAS Motors Ltd today launched its 22 horse-power (HP) tractor, Angad, in Gujarat, roping in a veteran cooperative leader as dealer for the Rs 1.50 lakh machine that claims to be the cheapest tractor of comparable horse-power available in India.

Launching the product, the company's Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Ravindra Kumar, told a news conference that with active support from the cooperatives leader, Mr Ishwarbhai Patel, President of Surat-based Fruit Market Association, SAS Motors has sold some 45 tractors in the State during the last eight months.

Since the tractor's launch 18 months ago, the company has sold some 3,000 pieces in the country.

Having recently launched in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, it planned to introduce its product in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Assam and Orissa this year. 95 per cent of Angad's current customers were first-time tractor buyers.

Mr Kumar pointed out that "Angad 240-D" was 40 per cent cheaper than the cheapest tractor of comparative horse-power available in India, came with a range of low-cost implements and can be repaired even by a bicycle mechanic, thus reducing maintenance cost by 30 per cent.

Moreover, it has been approved by the Centre for concessional finance and subsidy, saves more than 30 per cent in fuel and maintenance costs. When not in use, the owner-farmer can rent it out to each about Rs 12,000 per month. Angad is not a replacement for a sophisticated 60-HP tractor but is a suitable alternative to a bullock cart, he added.

He said that only big farmers with large holdings can afford the existing tractors that come expensive, are not fuel-efficient and are clones of the machines meant for agriculture in large landholdings in Europe and America. No innovation had taken place in these tractors over the last four decades of the Green Revolution and they were not customised for paddy cultivation which constitutes 50 per cent of grain cultivation in India.

A farmer in India, holding a meagre few acres of land on an average, spends Rs 48,000 per annum on two pairs of bullocks for a five-year working life of the animal. The new tractor would replace not only the traditional bullocks and bullock cart but also would offer the farmer various earning options apart from just ploughing the field.

More accessibility

He said Angad is the first optimised farm automation system for rural areas, a pioneering initiative to make effective low-cost mechanisation accessible to farmers with small landholdings across India.

The various implements that can be attached to the tractor for various uses enable a small farmer to create an alternative stream of income.

Angad also enables small farmers to sell their products directly in the wholesale market and fetch a better price for their produce. It helps them in generating electricity as well, Mr Kumar added.

More Stories on : Announcements | New Products & Services | HCV/LCV/Tractors | Gujarat

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