Power tillers make agricultural work easier with their multitasking operations. However, the Regional Farm Machinery Corporation Limited in Bajo under Wangdue Phodrang is struggling to meet the demand during the peak paddy transplantation season.
It renders hiring services of power tillers at a subsidised rate to farmers of Wangdue, Punakha, Gasa, Dagana, Trongsa and Bumthang.
Since the paddy transplantation season is nearing an end, 70 per cent of 160 tillers are lying idle at the regional office of the FMCL in Bajo.
But this wasn’t the case just a few days ago. The farmers within Wangdue and the neighbouring districts of Punakha and Gasa were seen frequenting the office to hire power tillers.
Due to this, the office faced a dire shortage in providing power tillers to the farmers. Its hiring charge per tiller is Nu 1,500 while the private individuals charge almost Nu 5,000 for the same.
“Firstly, we have a problem of insufficient machines and secondly, some of them break down after being delivered to farms. Likewise, we don’t have adequate machine operators. So, these are the three main problems plaguing us,” shared the Manager of Regional FMCL in Bajo, Jurmi Tenzin.
Despite receiving additional tillers at times, they remain short in supply when paddy transplantation gains momentum.
“Almost all farmers come together to the FMCL for hiring power tillers as the paddy transplantation works happen at the same time. So demand surges. The FMCL staff remain busy with repairing tillers,” said Pasang Dorji, Khubji-Tshosa Tshogpa from Shelnga-Bjemi Gewog in Punakha.
Some other chiwog tshogpas shared similar opinions.
“Since power tillers are used in soil, they are frequently damaged. Whenever we face such a problem, we immediately inform the FMCL and request them to send one staff for repair. But they take even a week-long to reach our location sometime,” said Mindu Dorji, Chongzhi-Jarigang-Jazhikha Tshogpa.
But, the FMCL regional office cited the shortage occurs due to the occasional breakdown of tillers and not having adequate operators to mend them.
The other reason is some people hire the machinery despite having their own since the charge is low.
“Whenever a farmer comes to our office to hire the machine, we request them to arrange one machine operator by themselves. We tell them about the shortage of machine operators. So, some farmers have been cooperating with us,” added Manager of Regional FMCL, Jurmi Tenzin.
Otherwise, farmers acknowledge that the FMCL’s agriculture machinery has lessened the burden off their shoulders.
“Since the gewog has only one bolero, we hardly get the chance to hire for transportation purposes. So, it is convenient for us to be the tillers from FMCL. They also help us reach the machine to our fields. They also provide us water pump in case we need the irrigation water supply and even tractor services,” said Kinley Zangmo, one of the farmers from Thedtsho Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang.
Her views were supported by other farmers in Punakha.
“We have to pay at least Nu 4,000 for a day if we hire the private power tiller. But we don’t have to pay more than Nu 600 for a day if we hire it from FMCL, which is a reasonable rate,” pointed out Pasang Dorji, a farmer from Lingmukha Gewog in Punakha.
But solutions are on the horizon. The FMCL will open business agents in identified places to cater effective power tiller services to the farmers.
The FMCL was founded as a State-owned-Enterprise in 2016 with the mandate to provide affordable hiring services of farming equipment to the farmers in the country.
Changa Dorji, Wangdue Phodrang
Edited by Pema Lhaden
