Farmers in the district are not benefiting from the Krishi Yanthradhaare project, which was introduced to assist them with agricultural equipment rentals.
Out of nine centers established to provide this equipment, seven have closed, leaving only Udupi and Vandse operational. Agricultural department officials blame the closures on expired tender periods and unsustainable government-specified rental rates due to high fuel and maintenance costs. Farmers report that equipment at inactive centers is rusting.
The primary demand from farmers is for sapling planting and harvesting machines. With most centers closed, they have no access to these essential tools. Introduced in 2014 to ease farmers’ burdens, the project is now nearly defunct. Initially, the Dharmasthala Grama Vikas organization and others managed the maintenance of the centers, but currently, only Easy Life manages the two functioning centers.
Assistant Director Pooja N explained that some centers closed because the managing organizations chose not to renew contracts after the tender periods ended. She mentioned that if other organizations show interest, they could take over the management of these centers.
B. Satyanarayana Udupa, chief secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha Udupi, suggested transferring the maintenance of Krishi Yanthradhaare machines to agricultural cooperative societies for farmers’ convenience. He also noted that private individuals previously charged similar or lower rates for equipment rental when the centers were open. Now, with the centers closed, private rates have skyrocketed, leaving farmers without affordable options.
Udupa criticized the government for not providing grants to purchase new machinery. The high cost of repairing old equipment and widespread rusting make it difficult for any organization to manage these centers effectively.