CSIR develops compact utility tractor for farmers

New Delhi: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) has developed a compact, affordable and easily manoeuvrable tractor of low horsepower range to meet the requirement of the marginal and small farmers, the Ministry of Science & Technology said on Friday.

CSIR developed the tractor with support from the Science for Equity Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division of the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

Marginal and small farmers comprise over 80 per cent of cultivators in India. A large population of them still depend on bullock-driven farming in which operational costs, maintenance costs and poor returns pose a challenge.