All India Coordinated Research Project on Farm Implements and Machinery (AICRP-FIM) was started during the V Five Year Plan period (vide sanctioned letter No. 26(10)/73-AE dated 21st May, 1975) with six centres with IARI, New Delhi as the coordinating centre. The coordinating cell of the scheme was shifted from IARI, New Delhi to CIAE, Bhopal in September, 1977. The project expanded its horizon over different regions of India during different five year plans. The project continues to function in XII Five Year Plan (vide ICAR letter No. A.Engg./6/4/2011/IA-II(AE) dated 1st January, 2015) with total plan outlay of Rs. 7178 lakh at 25 centres. The centres are engaged in five different activities namely research and development, prototype manufacturing, prototype feasibility testing, front line demonstration and custom hiring of improved farm implements and machinery.
The selective mechanization of Indian farms is essential to increase agricultural productivity, to achieve timeliness in farm operations, to enhance input use efficiency and to reduce drudgery of agricultural workers. With the increase in farm power availability to more than 2.00 kW/ha, the necessity of improved hand tools, implements and machines for various farm operations has also increased for supplementing and substituting traditional equipment. Various types of tools and implements such as laser guided land leveler, rotavators, seed drills/planters, rice transplanters, sprayers/dusters, reapers, threshers and combine harvesters have been introduced.
While in some parts of the country, mechanization has reached to the farmers, still majority of farmers continue to use the outdated inefficient equipment which come in the way of attaining potential yields both in irrigated and rainfed agriculture. Location specific, crop specific and operation specific improved implements need to be identified and provided. The inputs for design considerations such as functional requirements and constraints due to local agro-climatic conditions and farm practices are also essential for developing and improving the existing farm equipment.
The All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Farm Implements and Machinery (FIM) was started by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 1975 with six centres for development, testing and popularization of location and crop specific need-based farm implements and machinery for different regions of the country. The activities carried out under the project include development/adaption of need based farm implements at 10 centres, their prototype manufacturing for multi-location trials at 8 centres, prototype feasibility testing to adapt new designs based on mechanization gaps and front line demonstration of proven designs to prove their efficacy, obtain feedback for design refinement and commercialization at 25 centres.
Important links:
aicrp.icar.gov.in/fim/
ciae.icar.gov.in/