TAFE’s ‘JFarm Services’ is a CSR initiative aligned to TAFE’s vision of cultivating the world to enrich the lives of farmers across India. This initiative was formally launched in Gujarat in partnership with the State Government by the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri. Vijay Rupani in the presence of Shri. Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Government of India and Shri. Ranchhodbhai Chanabhai Faldu, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development & Transport, Government of Gujarat.
TAFE’s JFarm Services aims to increase easy access to farm mechanization solutions through rental of tractors and modern farm equipment to small and marginal farmers, enhancing their productivity and increasing their income significantly.
It facilitates the hiring of tractors and modern farm machinery to farmers, free of cost, through its Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) rental platform. TAFE’s JFarm Services will collaborate with the agricultural development officers of the Gujarat Government to ensure wide outreach and successful roll-out of the platform.
Agriculture continues to be the primary occupation for the majority of rural people in Gujarat. About 52% of the working population in the state is dependent on agriculture as a source of livelihood. With majority of them being small or marginal farmers, there is tremendous potential in the state for growth and increase in productivity through farm mechanization.
Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman – TAFE, said: “India is a land of small farms. A majority of farmers in our country, almost 85% of them have no access to farm mechanization to improve their yields and income. JFarm Services is a CSR initiative that allows both – farmers offering their tractors and farm equipment on rent, and smaller farmers seeking this service, to benefit directly from the JFarm Services app. It is our aim to reach out to the farmers of Gujarat, touch the lives of millions of farmers across the country and achieve our Honorable Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.”
The JFarm Services App will connect tractor owners and Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) operated by tractors and equipment owners directly to farmers seeking farm mechanization solutions, thereby facilitating a fair and transparent rental process while focusing on quality, dependability and timely delivery. JFarm Services offers the farmers and renters a wide range of prospects for hiring and renting of farm equipment and connects them directly to negotiate and fulfil their respective requirement. With this pioneering platform, TAFE brings the benefits of the technology-enabled sharing economy to boost the income of farmers.
Mr. T R Kesavan, Group President (Corporate Relations & Alliances) – TAFE, said: “TAFE, in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat, has launched JFarm Services to create sustainable agricultural productivity and growth for the state through the shared economy model. This initiative will support the state in making farm mechanization available to small and marginal farmers. JFarm Services is completely transparent and is free of any hidden charges or commissions.”
Farmers can hire tractors and equipment via the JFarm Services Android App or by contacting the toll-free helpline 1800-4-200-100 / 1800-208-4242. The App can be used on low-cost Android phones, is designed to run on very little data and can be used in English and Hindi apart from the various other regional languages. The JFarm Services App is a stellar example of the Digital India initiative, tailored to benefit the Indian agricultural landscape. This service by TAFE will foster digital empowerment of Indian farmers while creating a breed of new rural entrepreneurs and significant job opportunities.
JFarm Services, besides Gujarat, has a presence in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Assam, and has directly benefitted about 314,000 users resulting in over 825,000 hours in hired farm machinery usage. In a short span of time, JFarm Services has become one of India’s largest farm equipment aggregation operators.