By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Chandigarh : If the ongoing Agro Tech 2008 exhibition here is any indication, agri-machinery companies are still rolling out novel and ultra modern farm equipment in the Indian market although the average size of land holding of farmers has decreased considerably over the last few years.
All the leading companies operating in the Indian agri-machinery business have displayed their products at Agro Tech.
There are swanky air-conditioned tractors, gigantic harvesters, combines, crop choppers, reaper binders and advanced irrigation systems. Among all these, countless variants of tractors undoubtedly form the majority.
“The tractor market in India is growing every year; around 25 years back India was importing tractors from other countries. But today all the major companies here are exporting tractors to other countries,” said Sachin Dua, senior sales official of US agri and agri-related equipment company John Deere, which has an Indian manufacturing unit in Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
“Our international exports are also increasing every year, and we have been the biggest tractor exporter in India for the last five years. In this financial year, we exported 15,000 tractors, which was 25 per cent more than the last year. Now we are targeting an increase of over 25 per cent in the next financial year,” Dua told IANS.
In its 2008 financial year that was from Nov 2007 to Oct 2008, John Deere sold 310,000 tractors all over the country. The company’s highest model, which is of 75-horse-power and priced at Rs.865,000, is also being exhibited at Agro Tech.
At Agro Tech 2008, the Kerala based Redland Ashlyn Motors launched in the Indian market two models of its air-conditioned, three-seater harvester combine. The track type model of this multi-tasking machine can also work powerfully in marshy areas.
“We had spent more than two years on the research and development of this product and the outcome is an economical, fuel efficient and low maintenance machine. It is priced at Rs.1.35 million and consumes only eight litres of diesel in its one-hour drive,” Harinder Singh, a senior official of the company told IANS.
Keeping in mind the latest emerging needs of farmers, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is showcasing at Agro Tech ‘Shaan’, their tractor-cum-jeep with an in-built trolley.
“Usually a farmer uses his tractor for only six months in a year and it stands unused at his home for rest of the year. However, the Shaan tractor can be changed into a jeep by making some easy manual changes and there is an in-built trolley that can draw a weight of over 800 kilograms,” said an official spokesperson of the company.
He added, “Shaan was launched in the Indian market last year and the company has sold over 100 units in Punjab. It is priced at Rs.280,000 and can run at a speed of 40 km per hour and has gives an average mileage of 20 km per litre.”
M&M is also displaying its export model, named ‘Arjun International 7575’ priced at Rs.920,000. This 75-horse-power, four-cylinder tractor comes with power steering and 95 per cent of its units are exported to the international market.
With a production capacity of 98,940 tractors per annum, Escorts Tractors has also unveiled its PT 4455 tractor, marking its entry into the four-cylinder tractor segment.
“Our aim is to develop solutions that will enhance agricultural productivity and improve quality of life in rural India. PT 4455 is a highly versatile offering and can be a great asset to farmers and entrepreneurs, across the country and for non-farm applications,” said Ashok Anantharaman, sales and marketing (India head), Escorts Limited.