DEVESH CHATURVEDI

w
$TTfiT Tl-({'R
SECRETARY
ER q{ fuHrn iren'T riilw
fi Government
qd' fuHr{ EEeTruT fu{Fr
ffi of lndia
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
"fr"-roa Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare

D. O. No.A .Engg.l 4 I 93 I 2023 - AE Dated the3 I't December, 2024

><e-t Au-| c*A1,

Kindly refer earlier letters written by Hon'ble Shri Narendra Singh Tomar Ji, the then
Minister, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India (vide DO letter No.784lAM, dated
16.08.2023) and letter written by Hon'ble Shri Parshottam Rupala Ji, the then Minister, Fisheries.
Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Govt. of India (vide letter [Link].2llU20l8-AE, dated
28.06.2022) regarding creation of Directorate of Agricultural Engineering and districk/block wise
Agricultural Engineering Officer post in the state to Hon'ble Chief Ministers. Reducing labour
force for agricultural operations, increasing costs of labour, drudgery and timelines of operations
makes the mechanization indispensable. Mechanization of agricultural production, rural post-
harvest processing & value addition, mechanized environment-controlled animal husbandry and
dairy are of paramount importance for enhancing our food security and for enhancing farmers'
income. The rapid development in high tech machines such as drones, robots, AI and other sensor
technologies further indicates to have Directorate & sufficient number of Agricultural Engineers in
the field at state level.

Hon'ble Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food

Procesing (2022-23) on the subject "Research and Development in Farm Mechanization for Small
and Marginal Farmers in the Country" therefore also recommended in its report to create
Directorate of Agricultural Engineering in each state (recommendation no.7 in the 58th Report of
Standing Committee) for accelerating agricultural Mechanization. A Committee report on
recommendation of sub-group of Agriculture under Group of Secretaries was formed and same
report which may be helped for establishment of "Directorate of Agricultural Engineering" in the
state for strengthening Agricultural Mechanization, Post harvest processing, soil & water
conservation & Energy in Agriculture for augmenting farmers income is also attached for
necessary help.

It is, therefore, requested to establish Directorate of Agricultural Engineering and create

posts of Agricultural Engineers at district/ block level to achieve the goal at faster rate and send the
action taken report to apprise the Hon'ble Parliament Standing Committee urgently.

turlh l@'t U4/l,or> M

ba l@D
sincerely.

h Chaturvedi)
Chief Secretary to all States/UTs

Office: KrishiBhawan, New Delhi-110001,{[Link] / Phone:23382651 ,23988444 frq{r T{o / Fax No. :23386004
E-mail : secy-agri@[Link]
To,

1. The Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh

2. The Chief Secretary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh
3. The Chief Secretary, Government of Assam
4. The Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar
5. The Chief Secretary, Government of Chhattisgarh
6. The Chief Secretary, Government of Delhi (NCT) (UT)
7. The Chief Secretary, Government of Goa
8. The Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat
9. The Chief Secretary, Government of Haryana
10. The Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh
11. The Chief Secretary, Government of Jammu and Kashmir
12. The Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand
13. The Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka
14. The Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala
15. The Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra
16. The Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur
17. The Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya
18. The Chief Secretary, Government of Mizoram
19. The Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland
20. The Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha
21. The Chief Secretary, Government of Puducherry (UT)
22. The Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab
23. The Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan
24. The Chief Secretary, Government of Sikkim
25. The Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana
26. The Chief Secretary, Government of Tripura
27. The Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh
28. The Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand
29. The Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal
30. The Chief Secretary, Government of Andaman and Nicobar (UT)
 Report for Establishment of
“Directorate of Agricultural Engineering”
in each state for strengthening Agricultural
Mechanisation, Postharvest processing, soil / water
conservation & energy in agriculture,
for augmenting farmers’ income

in response to the
minutes of the committee jointly chaired by
Secretary, DA&FW, and Secretary DARE/DG (ICAR)
F. No. 2-2/2021-CU-I dated 14 September 2022
Crops Division, DA&FW
Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, GOI
Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi

Submitted by
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Division of Agricultural Engineering
Krishi Anusandhan Bhawan – II, Pusa, New Delhi
Report for Establishment of “Directorate of Agricultural Engineering”
in each state for strengthening Agricultural Mechanisation,
Postharvest Processing, Soil / Water Conservation & Energy in
Agriculture for augmenting farmers’ income

I. Introduction
Agriculture has been a vital sector of the Indian economy since ancient times, and it
continues to be an important source of livelihood for a large percentage of the population.
The growth of agriculture in India has been significant in recent years, with agricultural
GDP growing at an average rate of 4% per year over the past decade. Despite the growth
in agricultural GDP, the sector still faces several challenges, including climate change,
soil degradation, water scarcity, low productivity, declining number of farmers, ageing of
farmers, poor financial health of the farmers, drudgery and lack of training and skills
among the farmers in adopting modern day technologies. Addressing these challenges
and promoting inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth is essential for ensuring food
security, reducing poverty, and achieving sustainable development in India.
The number of farmers in India has been declining over the past few decades due to
several factors such as urbanization, migration to non-farming jobs, and large-scale
farming practices. According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), the number
of cultivators in India declined from 118.7 million in 2011-12 to 96.6 million in 2019-20.
The ageing of the farmers in India is also a significant issue that has been a cause for
concern in recent years. According to the latest available data, the average age of a farmer
in India is 55 years. This means that a large percentage of farmers in the country are in
the 50+ age group, and many are approaching retirement age. Young people are
increasingly leaving rural areas in search of better job opportunities in cities.
Additionally, farming is becoming increasingly unattractive as a profession due to low
profitability and unpredictable weather patterns. Women constitute about 43 % of the
agricultural workforce in India (as per National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)). This
figure varies significantly across different states and regions, with some states having a
higher proportion of women in agriculture than others. Women are involved in various
agricultural activities, including planting, harvesting, livestock management, and post-
harvest processing. Over 70% livestock work is done by women in India.
Climate change is having a significant impact on agriculture worldwide. It is affecting the
productivity, quality, and availability of food crops, livestock, and fish. The effects of
climate change on agriculture include changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, and
extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and storms. These changes can lead to
reduced crop yields, changes in crop quality, and increased pest and disease pressure.
They can also affect the availability and quality of water for irrigation, livestock, and
fisheries. To mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture, farmers need to adopt
new practices and technologies that are more resilient and sustainable. These include
practices such as conservation agriculture, crop diversification, and agroforestry, which

1
help to conserve soil moisture, reduce erosion, and promote biodiversity. The
implementation of these technologies is not possible without engineering interventions.
II. Role of Agricultural Engineering in Agriculture
Agricultural Engineering broadly covers three major aspects pertaining to agriculture.
These are (i) farm power and machines mainly for land preparation, weeding, harvesting,
threshing; (ii) post-harvest processing including cleaning, grading, sorting, storage,
packaging, transportation, value addition etc. and (iii) soil and water engineering, etc.
Machines and hand tools have been developed for farm mechanization to save time and
labour, reduce drudgery, cut down production cost, reduce post-harvest losses and boost
crop output and farm income. Water, energy and fertilizer management and utilization of
conventional and non-conventional energy sources in agricultural production and
processing activities have seen increased interest of farmers. Water saving devices like
sprinkles and drip irrigation, land reclamation, soil conservation, flood mitigation,
rainwater harvesting, drainage etc. have been given due importance. Agricultural
mechanization in India is currently more prevalent in the production of cash crops, such
as sugarcane, cotton, and oilseeds, as well as in the production of wheat and rice. In
contrast, mechanization is limited in the production of fruits, vegetables, and other
horticultural crops, which require more specialized equipment and skilled labor. Farm
power availability has increased from 0.3kW ha-1 during 1960 to2.54 kWha-1 in 2020.
Along with tractors, significant growth in power tillers, combine harvesters, diesel
engines and electric motors have taken place in the country. Overall farm mechanization
of crop production in the country has reached approximately 47 % and the target is to
increase it to 75 % by the year 2047. Post-harvest losses average around 15 % (2022) and
the target is to reduce these losses to less than 10 % by the year 2047. Similarly, the target
is to increase the water use efficiency from 40 to 60 % by the year 2047. The population
of India is expected to touch 1.6 billion by the year 2047 and the country needs to produce
more and more food from the limited resources.
The ratio of agricultural workers to total workers in India declined from 59.1% in 1991 to
54.6 % in 2011 and 39.4 % in 2021. The draught animal population reduced from78.42
million in 1971-72 to 38.74 million in 2018-19. The contribution of agricultural workers
and draught animals in total farm power availability has come down from 60.8 % in 1971-
72 to less than 10 % in 2019-20. There is a lot of stress on conventional energy sources.
For increasing the agricultural production and productivity per unit land & water and
other inputs, it is necessary to have technological interventions in farm mechanization,
post-harvest processing, cold storage, land & water management, mechanized
environment-controlled animal husbandry and dairy, protected cultivation etc. These
technologies and interventions have synergy with the development of high yielding crop
varieties and planting materials. Mechanization of agricultural production and post-
production systems, development, and adoption of modern-day technologies (AI,
robotics, automation etc.) has become indispensable for agriculture.
Hands-on training for users of new-generation engineering technologies is required to
encourage the adoption of modern technologies for agriculture. There is also a strong
need to encourage an entrepreneurship eco-system for proliferation of engineering
2
technologies, in the rural areas involving rural youth (both men & women). The skills of
the rural youth need to be developed to encourage them to take up self-employment
involving modern technologies for farming, secondary agriculture, and other allied
activities.
III. Government Schemes
The policy makers in the government are aware of the ground situation and have launched
several programs and initiatives aimed at supporting farmers and promoting sustainable
agriculture, with a focus on smallholder farmers who form the majority of the agricultural
workforce in the country. The following government schemes are being run in India for
the benefit of the farmers:
1. Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
2. National Agricultural Development Programme (NADP)
3. PM-KUSUM – Off - grid Standalone Solar Powered Pumping Systems
4. Command Area Development and Water Management Programme - Renamed as
Incentivization Scheme for Bridging Irrigation Gap (ISBIG)
5. Integrated Horticulture Development Scheme (IHDS)
6. Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME)
7. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
8. Gramin Bhandaran Yojana
9. Micro Irrigation Fund scheme
10. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
11. National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
12. National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
13. National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm
14. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
The implementation of the government schemes requires uniquely educated and the most
suitable skilled manpower in the rural areas. Agricultural Engineers are uniquely educated
and skilled for enhancing the effectiveness of the implementation of the above-mentioned
schemes and allied sector activities. Many works under MNREGA also require
engineering skills for perfection. Agricultural Engineers are thus very much required at
Block/District level for the effective implementation of the various government schemes
on implementation of farm mechanization, post-harvest processing, land & water
management, renewable energy, horticulture, irrigation etc. All these can be achieved by
creating a well-defined/structured department/directorate in each state/UT of the country.
Recent study conducted by NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research)
New Delhi on the behest of DA&FW, GOI on “Making India – A Global Powerhouse in
the Farm Machinery Industry” has clearly identified that shortage of agricultural
engineers at the district level can be overcome if a Directorate of Agricultural Engineering
is established in all states and Agricultural engineers are employed at block level and
monitored by Agri. Engineers from top at state level to that at block level in all the

3
States/UTs of India. This will also help in more effective implementation of the
Government Schemes as mentioned above.
IV. Directorate of Agricultural Engineering (DAE)
It is thus pertinent for each state to have a “Directorate of Agricultural Engineering”.
(DAE) which will be responsible for hiring, utilizing and monitoring of the various
activities needing engineering interventions. Apart from implementation of government
schemes the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering will also be tasked to popularize the
engineering technologies, agro-processing activities, cold storage of perishables, repair
and maintenance of equipment and create awareness about the modern technological
interventions, such as drones, AI, robotics, mobile apps, decision support systems, remote
sensing etc. Adoption of new age tools of information technology, sensors, robotics, AI
etc. have become necessary to improve precision and automation in production and post-
production operations.
A few states in India already have the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering (DAE).
The oldest establishment is in Tamil Nadu where the directorate has 1029 agricultural
engineers located at the state headquarter, regional, and state offices. Tamil Nadu has 38
districts and, the agricultural engineer availability is 27 per district. Odisha has 30
districts, and the strength of agricultural engineers is 15 per district. Madhya Pradesh has
a relatively young directorate with only about three agricultural engineers per district.
In most of the other states in the country Director Agriculture, District Agricultural
Offices, Block Agricultural Offices are responsible for implementation of the scheme
activities involving engineering-oriented work. Implementation of these schemes shall be
much more effective, when the most suitable manpower is employed and monitored by
the higher authority from the same discipline.
Therefore, establishment of the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering (DAE) in each
state of India is highly recommended. The Directorate of Agricultural Engineering (DAE)
in each state of the country will be responsible for the planning, development, and
promotion of agricultural engineering programmes including soil & water conservation,
energy in agriculture, post-harvest processing and value addition in the country.
The DAE therefore should be responsible for several functions, including:
1. Promote appropriate agricultural machinery and equipment and train manpower
to increase productivity and reduce labour drudgery.
2. Reduce post-harvest losses by promoting agro-processing and appropriate
storage technologies in rural areas.
3. Design and implementation of soil conservation, rainwater harvesting, command
area development, irrigation and drainage using latest techniques.
4. Promote climate resilient conservation agricultural technologies.
5. Help the state government in judicious management of crop residues.
6. Provide technical assistance and services to state governments and other
organizations involved in agricultural development.

4
 7. Implement policies and schemes related to agricultural engineering and
mechanization.
8. Promote the use of renewable energy in agriculture, including solar pumps and
biomass-based power generation.
9. Training and capacity building of farmers and other stakeholders in agricultural
engineering and mechanization, soil and water conservation, post-harvest
storage, value addition, utilisation of renewable energy etc.
The DAE needs to work in close collaboration with state agricultural departments,
national research institutions, and other stakeholders involved in agricultural
development. Its initiatives and programs will promote sustainable and inclusive
agricultural growth in the country and reduce the drudgery of farm labour. The need of
the hour is to make agriculture technology driven to meet the challenges pertaining to
inadequate productivity, shortage of labour, limited water, energy and inputs, declining
number of cultivators, disinterest of youth in agriculture etc.
V. Administrative Structure of the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering
The proposed directorate shall have its headquarter and field offices, adequately managed
by trained manpower/human resources. A conservative estimate of agricultural
engineering human resources for a state could be obtained by assuming 15 persons for
the state head quarter and five persons per district. A typical human resource framework
proposed for a state is presented in Table 1. There may be a provision of additional
positions in the Directorate where the number of districts in a State is more than 40 to
cope with the increased workload.
Table 1: A typical human resource framework in a State for Directorate of
Agricultural Engineering
S. Designation
Number
No. (Discipline/Activities)
1 Director / Chief Engineer (Agricultural Engineering) 1

2 Jt. Director / Superintending Engineer (Agricultural Engineering) 4

(Mechanization, S&WCE, and Post-harvest value addition, Renewable
Energy)

3 Deputy Director / Executive Engineer (Agricultural Engineering) 7

Farm Mechanization / Post-Harvest Processing / Renewable Energy
technologies / Protected Agriculture / Entrepreneurship / S&WCE and CAD
/ Irrigation & Drainage Engg.

4 Assistant Director / Assistant Executive Engineer (Agricultural Engineering) 5

Technical Coordination of district units / Liaison with Agricultural and food
industries / Skill Development Programmes / Stakeholder contact point /
Programme Implementation and Assessment

5 District Assistant Engineers (Agricultural Engineering) for mechanization, 5/

soil and water management, postharvest technology, Protected Agriculture, district
and renewable energy technologies

5
Mechanisms for arranging human resource for the Directorate of Agricultural
Engineering may be as follows:
1. Transfer of agricultural engineering positions from the non-engineering
departments to the DAE.
2. Creation of positions in lieu of the abolished positions in other Directorates in
different grades
3. Creation of new positions shall require minimum expenditure by merging
activities and manpower of above nature in other departments. For example, the
Directorate of Soil Conservation can easily be merged with the proposed DAE.
Food processing & energy can also be brought from other departments / Ministries
of the State Governments.

VI. Recommendations
The states which have Directorate of Agricultural Engineering have shown better
mechanization level, more effective implementation of engineering centric govt. schemes
and better agricultural growth rate. In view of the intensification of agricultural
engineering-based schemes and programmes in the country, the proposed
strengthening of human resources in the states, by establishment of Directorate of
Agricultural Engineering is the need of the hour and can be achieved without much
additional financial involvement and is thus strongly recommended.

VII. Financial involvement

As per the ways and means as suggested in preceding paragraphs above, the additional
financial involvement will be at the minimum level, as agricultural engineers are already
employed / are being employed in the respective States. Restructuring the departments
and merging of the activities shall only be required to establish “Directorate of
Agricultural Engineering” in each state, to enhance the efficiency and, thus, Agricultural
output of each of the States.

6
 Annexure I
Composition of the committee constituted for deliberations, discussions and preparation
of the Report for Establishment of “Directorate of Agricultural Engineering” in each State

Sr Name and designation of the expert Role

No
1. Dr. R Murugesan Chairman
Chief Engineer
Dept. of Agril. Engineering, TN
2. Dr. Pitam Chandra Member
Former Director, ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal
3. Er. R P Singh Member
Former Executive Director (Agril. Engg.)
Dept. of Agriculture, Govt. of Jharkhand
4. Er. Sudhir Mishra Member
Joint Director, Agril. Engg. (Post-Harvest)
Government of Bihar, Patna
5. Dr. Prabir Biswas Member
Asstt. Engineer
Water Resources Investigation & Development
Department, Govt. of West Bengal
6. Dr. Vijay Kumar Palled Member
Associate Professor
Department of Renewable Energy
College of Agricultural Engineering, UAS Raichur
7. Dr. Devinder Dhingra Convenor
Principal Scientist (Process Engg.)
Division of Agril. Engg., ICAR