Agricultural Engineering in India

Vision
To make Indian agriculture sustainable, profitable and competitive enterprise through engineering interventions of farm mechanization, value addition and energy management in production and post harvest operations.

Mission

To develop and introduce need-based and region-specific engineering technologies to achieve sustainable enhanced productivity and profitability of different farming systems.

Results-Framework Documents

Mandate

To plan, coordinate, and monitor R&D programmes and serve as an information repository in Agricultural Engineering

Organizational Structure

Thrust Areas

• Development of precision machinery and strategies for carrying out timely and efficient agricultural operations in irrigated, rain-fed and hill agriculture, horticulture, livestock and fisheries production.
• Increasing work efficiency for human, animal and mechanical systems and reduction of occupational hazards in agricultural operations.
• Energy management and utilization of conventional and non-conventional energy sources in agricultural production and processing activities.
• Utilization of surplus agricultural residues for decentralised power generation.
• Reduction of post harvest losses, value addition to agricultural produce, processing and utilization of by-products.

Achievements

• Development of improved machinery such as laser land leveller, self-propelled sprayers, precision seeders and planters, transplanters for rice and vegetable seedlings, multi-crop threshers, harvesters for cereals and sugarcane etc. for efficient farm operations and resource conservation.
• Development and introduction of gender-friendly tools for reduction in the drudgery of women farm workers, and recommendations for minimizing accidents in agriculture.
• Development and application of renewable energy technologies such as solar refrigerator; low cost solar cookers, solar water heaters; high efficiency cook stoves, pyrolysed briquetted fuel; bio-mass gasifiers; biogas plants; biphasic digestion of agro residues; animal-operated agro-processing units; utilization of agricultural residues for decentralised electricity generation.
• Developed region and commodity specific equipment and processes for post harvest loss reduction and value addition such as soybean dehuller; extrusion-expelling pilot plant; soy-based food products; pilot plant for soy flour and oil; jute plant ribboner; accelerated and eco-friendly retting of jute; jute stick particle board and diversified uses of jute
• Improved technology developed for cotton ginning, variable speed double roller gin; improved micro spinning system; process for flame retardant finish for fabrics; cotton-coir composites; pulp and paper, particle board and corrugated boxes from cotton plant stalk; biogas from textile mill waste.
• Molecular characterization of lac insects and lac pest management done.
• Processes developed for producing shellac, bleached lac, dewaxed and decolourized lac; lac dye and wax from lac factory effluents; perfumery compounds; natural dye and lac wax based emulsion formulations for extending shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
• Surface, sub-surface and vertical drainage technology for vertisols to improve land utilisation; artificial ground water recharge through bore-wells; automated surge flow system for furrow irrigation and other technological interventions developed and introduced for increasing farm productivity.
• Entrepreneurship development for the manufacture of agricultural implements and different processing technologies through technology transfer, training and human resource development.

Future Outlook

• Enhancement in agricultural productivity is imperative to meet the ever increasing food demand despite shrinking natural resources and impending climate change. Agricultural Engineering has critical role in higher agricultural production, post harvest management and rural employment generation.
• Periodic need assessment through surveys, operations research and liaison with the line departments, private, public and non-governmental organisations, entrepreneurs and other interest groups will be carried out for finding timely solutions for such issues.
• Chalk out multi-pronged strategies to find diversified and value added products from natural gums and resins in consonance with global trends in the production, processing and product development.
• Interaction with various constituents of National Agricultural Research System and developmental organizations to infuse efficiency in R & D, planning, monitoring and management through the use of ICT, and establishment of state-of-the-art facility on Agricultural Bio-informatics.