Farm mechanization has transformed the Agricultural Sector in India during the last decade. Farm mechanization aids for the enhanced output and consequently income with reduced time and manpower which is the need of the farmers today.
The Southern Region Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute, Tractor Nagar, Garladinne, District Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh has been established in 1983 by “Government of India”, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare; New Delhi and is an ‘I.S.O. 9001 – 2015 Certified Institute’. The Institute is imparting training as per ‘SMAM` guidelines for the benefit of farmer’s communities, academic level, NGO’s; Need based, encouraging entrepreneurs, their skill development. The Institute is playing a vital role in educating the farmers of the southern part of India by training and demonstrations pertaining to use of modern machines such as power tiller, mini combines, reaper, trans-planters, balers, spraying machines, agricultural drone sprayers, pneumatic planter, mobile shredders briquetting machines solar pump sets, post harvesting machines and micro irrigation systems etc. The training enables the beneficiaries to acquire jobs in government, non-government, private undertakings and also to setup their own business. The financial assistance of training is directly credited to beneficiaries by way of `Direct Benefit Transfer- DBT` through bank to the accounts holder. In addition to demonstration of appropriate technology machines, this institute has also started demonstration of Krishi Drones in collaboration with private players since 2022 to reduce the time consume in spraying, broadcasting fertilizer and irrigation, human safety in public interest and during the fiscal year 2023-24, 12 drone demonstrations were already conducted in the farmers’ field. The Institute will strive to enhance the number of beneficiaries in the coming days.
Apart from this the Institute is approved for commercial testing of Power Tiller from 2006 in India and total machines tested by this institute are 1546 till September 2023. The institute is well equipped with the facility of dedicated computer controlled software operated test setup to test each and individual machines in a very close proximity limit of accuracy and their parametric value is traceable to national standards followed by the norms of ‘ Bureau of Indian Standards’. The machines include various types of agricultural and allied machines which are manually operated and self-propelled type developed in India and abroad for quality development for the benefit of farmers. All the testing schedules are operated through online (MIS) dedicated management information system in a transparent way, the applicant and the department vice-versa.
The Institute is also looking forward to develop infrastructural facility to cope up with modern technological development. The `CMVR` testing facilities are under process to be developed at the Institute. The Institute is also committed to adopt the new technological developments in farm equipment and future innovations to facilitate the farmers in easy operation of the agricultural machinery and enhancing growth in the agricultural sector. Recently the institute has signed MoU with CLASS Combine and SAME Dutz Fehr (SDF) for creation of modern training academy at the institute.
Today, the institute with its state-of-art training/ testing facilities, stands a pioneer in Southern India in the field of Agricultural Mechanization.