A two-day agricultural mechanization fair has commenced in Aurangabad, aiming to provide farmers with subsidies ranging from 40 to 80 percent on the purchase of modern farm equipment. District Magistrate Abhilasha Sharma inaugurated the fair on Wednesday at the Joint Agriculture Building complex, lighting a lamp alongside other officials. The fair is scheduled to run until November 5.

Dr. Sonu Kumar, Deputy Director of Agricultural Engineering, announced that 767 permits for agricultural machinery have been issued to farmers in the district for the financial year 2026-27 through the first centralized online lottery. Approximately 276 lakh rupees have been allocated as subsidies for these permits. Additionally, permits have been granted to six farmers under custom hiring, one for an agricultural machinery bank, and seven under the special custom hiring center. In total, subsidies are being offered on 86 different types of farm equipment.

During her inspection of various stalls at the fair, the District Magistrate instructed officials to widely publicize crop residue management tools and educate farmers on their use. She emphasized that adopting modern technology can make farming more profitable. Tools such as straw reapers, straw balers, super seeders, zero tillage machines, rotavators, paddy transplanters, power tillers, and laser land levelers are expected to be particularly beneficial for farmers.

Officials highlighted that the use of these modern machines will help small and marginal farmers complete agricultural tasks on time, reducing labor and costs while improving production and product quality. The fair promotes the use of advanced equipment in cultivating paddy, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, and horticultural crops. Scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Siris, provided farmers with detailed information on the operation and use of the machinery during a technical session.