National Agricultural Engineering Research Center (NAERC), Khumaltar organized a residential training on Agricultural Mechanization for the youth farmers of the Terai region of Nepal at the Directorate of Agricultural Research, Parwanipur, Bara, Madhesh Province from Mansir 26 to Poush-02, 2080 (12-18 December 2023). The main objective of the training was to build the capacity of the tractor drivers on the operation and maintenance of tractors and modern agricultural mechanization technologies used in rice, wheat, potato, sugarcane and maize cultivation. In addition, it was aimed to build their capacity to transform their informal agricultural machinery hire service into a professional custom hire centre to provide improved agricultural mechanization services to the farmers in their area. Altogether, 18 farmers (most of them are tractor drivers) from three provinces and 11 Terai districts participated in the training.
During the training, theoretical as well as intensive hands-on practical classes on the operation and maintenance of tractors, mechanization technologies (from land preparation, sowing, inter culture, harvesting, threshing to post-harvest operations) for rice, wheat, maize, potato and sugarcane cultivation for the terai region of Nepal were covered. During the training, the field visit programs were also organized to the model lead farmer’s field involved in rice, heat, maize, potato and sugarcane to facilitate farmer-to-farmer training on mechanization technologies. Similarly, the farmers also visited the agricultural machinery market at Bigunj to learn about commercially available modern agricultural machinery and the Agricultural Implement Research Centre (AIRC), Ranighat to learn about the recent research findings on agricultural mechanization in the Terai region of Nepal. In addition, the farmers were trained on safety issues in agricultural mechanization, custom hiring service management and the Nepal Government’s program on agricultural mechanization promotion in the Terai region of Nepal.
The chief guest of the inauguration session Hon’ble Minister of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative, Madhesh Province, Govind Bahadur Neupane inaugurated the training on 12th December 2023 and wished the successful organization of the training to contribute to the mechanization of agriculture in the Terai region of Nepal. Similarly, the chief guest of the concluding ceremony Hon’ble Krishna Kumar Shrestha “Kishan Shrestha”, Parliament member of Bara-4, distributed the certificates and training manuals to the participating farmers on 18th December 2023 and expressed his belief that participating farmers would make a great contribution to the future of the country by reducing cost of production in agriculture. Both programs were organized under the chairmanship of Dr B P Yadav. Similarly, Dr Shreemat Shrestha, principal scientist of the National Agricultural Engineering Research Center, Khumaltar welcomed the guests and participating farmers in both sessions and elaborated on the objectives and knowledge & skills imparted during this training program. After the inaugural and concluding session, the guests (various stakeholders of mechanization in the terai region research, extension, testing, private sector, lead farmers etc.) also visited the workshop to observe the various mechanization technologies in rice, wheat, maize, potato and sugarcane cultivation and acquainted with the potential benefits of the adoption of these technologies. The training was coordinated by Mr. Ganga Ram Bhandari, Scientist S1 of the NAERC, Khumaltar.
