Performance evaluation and economics of the reaper-cum-binder machine for the mechanized harvesting of wheat crop at Madhubani district of Bihar

Abstract

India ranks second in terms of wheat production after China, the main reason being lesser productivity, which was 3173 kg/ha for India and 4995 kg/ha for China. Delays in harvesting may associate considerable or even severe losses due to over maturity or any unforeseen natural adversity. Early harvesting could open up opportunities for extra revenues through farming of short duration vegetable crops in the gap between two major crops i.e. paddy and wheat. The reaper cum binder is not that popular for the farmers of Bihar. The study was conducted on this machine for assessment of the performance as well as the economics of the operation, particularly in Bihar where wheat cropping system is still dominant. The reaper-cum-binder saved 11.11% per hectare of yield to the farmers. So, this machine is preferred well for custom hiring. The field efficiency of the reaper-cum-binder for the wheat crop was obtained as 70.44%. In harvesting by reaper-cum-binder for the wheat crop, total grain losses were found to be 92.11 kg/ha. The economics of machine over conventional methods of harvesting was calculated and it was found that the benefit-cost ratio for reaper-cum-binder for the wheat crop was 2.08. The breakeven hectares and breakeven hours of reaper-cum-binder for the wheat crop were calculated as 19.75 hectares and 51.94 hours respectively. The custom hiring rate estimated for the wheat crop, was also found to be beneficial for the farmers.