Introduction
The agricultural machinery industry or agricultural engineering industry is the part of the industry, that produces and maintain tractors, agricultural machinery and agricultural implements. This branch is considered to be part of the machinery industry.
Since its inception, Pakistan is experiencing rapid growth in human population despite tremendous efforts to check population explosion. Over the years the population density had been increasing, land to man ratio deteriorating, and the food and cloth requirements intensifying. On the contrary, the scope for increase in cultivated area over the years has always been marginal. Therefore, the expectations of a wide gap between future food requirements and supplies are high which may possibly be reduced by improving average yields by intensive use of agricultural machinery. It is obvious that use of agricultural machinery not only speed up cultivation process but also accelerate harvesting and threshing operations.
It is also instrumental to maximization of agricultural production by increasing land use and cropping intensities. Therefore, planning for judicious use of Agricultural Machinery is of utmost importance which, inter alia, depends upon availability of reliable and timely statistics. The use of Agricultural Machinery is increasing day by day in Pakistan like other agricultural countries of the world which has necessitated periodic stocktaking of Agricultural Machinery as a regular activity. Realizing this fact in Pakistan, the first Agricultural Machinery industry establish in 1968, second in 1975, third in 1984 and fourth in 1994
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Production
The agricultural machinery industry produces agricultural machinery, machinery used in the operation of agricultural areas and farms. Main types are:[13]
Tractors and power.
Machinery for tillage or soil cultivation.
Machinery for planting, seeding, fertilizing, pest control, irrigation.
Machinery for harvesting, haymaking, and post-harvest, such as produce sorters, and machinery for loading
Machinery for milking
Other agricultural machinery, for example grinder mixers, wool presses and windmills.[13]
In developed countries overall the largest segment of agricultural equipment sales is tractors.[13]
Economic importance in pakistan.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector is the mainstay of the economy and a primary source of livelihood. During FY 2017-18, the agriculture sector contributed 18.9 percent to the country’s GDP and employs 42.3 percent of the total workforce. During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the sector grew 3.81 percent in comparison to 3.5 percent growth last year. There has been moderate growth in the sector over the last several years, which can be attributed to the efforts of the government of Pakistan to establish easy credit, subsidies for small farmers on agriculture inputs, training programs, and the government purchasing goods at higher prices. According to the Pakistan Agriculture Machinery Census, the total land area under cultivation is 79.6 million acres, which has increased 5.8 percent over the last year. According to industry sources, the total size of the agricultural machinery sector is approximately $1.3 billion, consisting of a combination of tractors, harvesters, and other small-scale agricultural machinery. According to the Economic Survey, Pakistan Vision 2025, food security is one of seven top priority action areas. Among the top five objectives for achieving food security are, “Create a modern, efficient and diversified agricultural sector that can ensure a stable and adequate provision of basic food supplies for the country’s population and provide quality products for export.” The provision of modern agricultural machinery and equipment is essential to the government’s plan.
In terms of market share, there are five countries that supply more than 70 percent of the total imported agricultural machinery and equipment. These include the United States, China, Japan, Italy and Ge
