Status of farm mechanization on rice production: A case study of Banganga municipality, Kapilvastu, Nepal

Abstract

Escalating outmigration of youths for foreign employment has created shortage of labor in agriculture. This situation demands the mechanized agricultural practices. To assess the status of adoption of farm machineries in rice production, a study was carried out in Banganga Municipality of Kapilvastu district in 2018. 70 rice growing households from purposively selected rice zone of this district were randomly surveyed to collect information regarding adoption of farm machinery in different stages of rice production. Household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview were major primary sources of data collection while secondary data were collected through published reports, books and research papers. It was found from this study that majority of the farmers used rotavator, cultivator, tractor, thresher and combine harvester during cultivation of rice. There is no use of machinery at the stage of nursery preparation, rice transplantation, weeding, and fertilizer application. Farmers use thresher and tractor for threshing purpose. Most of the farmers (65.7 percent) get information related to farm machinery through DADO. Majority of the farmers (52.9 percent) has easy access to farm machinery. Most of the farmers (84.3 percent) are satisfied with the performance of mechanization. 81.4 percent, 15.7 percent and 2.9 percent of farmers asserted loss of time, loss in time, increase in cost of production and lower production in the absence of farm mechanization. PMAMP rice zone and other stakeholders should bring new farm machineries for rice transplanting, weeding and fertilizer application and develop the package of practices of mechanized rice production to increase its productivity, profitability and efficiency.