Tractors & Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE) has said that its free tractor rental scheme, under its popular JFarm Services platform, has helped thousands of small and marginal farmers in Tamil Nadu to continue with their agricultural operations in an uninterrupted manner despite the impact of the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
“Under the scheme, more than 1,55,000 hours of free tractor and farm implement rental services were provided, cultivating over 1,03,000 acres, within 60 days,” according to a statement.
Scheme coverage
TAFE offered its 19,000 Massey Ferguson and Eicher tractors and 33,500 implements on a “free-of-cost” rental basis to small farmers owning two acres or less. Against the estimated coverage of 50,000 farmers in Tamil Nadu, the scheme covered 64,000 farmers.
“High-demand implements like cultivator, disc plough, duck-foot cultivator and rotary tiller were widely used by the farmers under the scheme,” it added.
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“The TAFE JFarm Services free tractor rental scheme played a key role in helping small and marginal farmers continue farming operations during the second wave of the Covid outbreak. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare initiative to partner with TAFE helped in providing timely support and benefited farmers. I am particularly glad that the scheme focused on needy farmers with land holding of less than around 1 acre,” said Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, M R K Panneerselvam.
Serving small farmers
This CSR initiative by TAFE aimed to rescue the farming community from the economic implications of Covid-19, and mitigate the impact of the pandemic threat on farming operations during the critical Rabi harvest and Kharif preparation season.
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“We have been given an opportunity to serve the small and marginal farmers at this critical juncture, and at the same time, play a role in enhancing the revenue of farmers through a direct benefit system, which has been welcomed by both, the renter farmers and the small farmers,” said Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & Managing Director, TAFE.
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