Constraints of Custom Hiring Services Utilization & Suggestions for Advancing Farm Mechanization in Vijayapur District of Karnataka, India

Indian agriculture has been evolving significantly, with one notable transformation being the shift from muscle power to mechanical power. Thus farm mechanization has a direct impact on crop productivity. However, small and marginal farmers often face financial constraints that prevent them from acquiring the necessary machinery. Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) offer a viable solution by providing access to farm machinery at affordable rates. Custom hiring represents a farm machinery sharing practice, enabling farmers to utilize essential equipment without the burden of ownership costs. But there are some prominent lingering concerns associated with the functioning of custom hiring service centres. The present study aimed to identify the major issues encountered by farmers and custom hiring service providers when hiring machinery, indicating few major ones like lack of timely availability of required machinery during peak season (81.42%), non-availability of well-trained technical manpower (57.14%), inadequate & cumbersome service provision (56.42%), unaffordable charge for hiring machinery (40.71%) alongside their suggestive measures to unlock the full potential of custom hiring services, resulting in significant advantages for both farmers and the agricultural sector. Later a synoptic study in 2022 (post-pandemic scenario), showcases few significant constraints associated with CH services like reduced adoption, rigid rules, lower profit margins, disruptive operations, rising dissatisfaction which can be addressed if the suggestive measures are to be followed with proper modifications and adjustments to improve upon the functioning of CHCs.