TAFE’s free of cost tractor rental platform - ‘JFarm Services’ launched nationwide

• TAFE’s CSR initiative to support small and marginal farmers
• Farmer-to-Farmer model (F2F)
• Farmers can offer all brands of tractors and implements on rent
• Aids rural entrepreneurship and generates additional revenue for farmers

September 21, 2018 | New Delhi, India: TAFE - Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, India’s second largest tractor manufacturer, has announced the national expansion of its CSR initiative - ‘JFarm Services’ and the ‘JFarm Services App’. With this pioneering platform, TAFE brings the benefits of the technology-enabled sharing economy to boost the income of Indian farmers. JFarm Services facilitates the hiring of tractors and modern farm machinery to farmers free of cost. Farmers looking to rent their existing tractors and farm equipment are linked directly to farmers seeking to hire them through the free of cost “Farmer-to-Farmer model” (F2F) of JFarm Services app which enables them to contact farmer entrepreneurs, negotiate rental prices and fulfill their respective requirements.

Despite nearly 65% Indians working in the farm sector, India’s agricultural yields trail global and emerging market averages. More than 20 crore Indian farmers have little or no access to mechanized tools. Any effort to bring about a paradigm shift in productivity and farm income has to be centered on the small farmers, who account for 86% of India’s farmland holding.

Farmers who own small parcels of land across India can now hire state-of-the-art farm equipment to increase their productivity and income significantly. The JFarm Services App and on ground Custom Hiring Centers which are operated by tractor and equipment owners will provide farmers with affordable farm mechanization services in a transparent manner. With ‘JFarm Services’ tremendous early success, TAFE is collaborating with various state governments to rollout the JFarm services platform.

JFarm Services initial pilot roll-out covers Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, directly benefitting around 60,000 users resulting in over 100,000 orders, adding up to about 250,000 hours in hired farm machinery usage.

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO - TAFE, said: “The nationwide launch of JFarm Services - farm equipment rental platform as a CSR initiative is aligned to TAFE’s vision of Cultivating the World and our commitment to the economic well-being of Indian farmers. The JFarm Services platform leverages technology to provide free of cost access to rental of farm mechanization solutions and offers an opportunity to build a viable rural entrepreneurship model while augmenting farm productivity and income of small and marginal farmers. With this launch we aim to touch millions of farmers who have no access to farm mechanization and modern technology, while accelerating the progress towards the Prime Minister’s vision of doubling farm incomes by 2022.”

Mr. T R Kesavan, President & COO - TAFE, said: “TAFE’s JFarm Services offers a transparent farmer-to-farmer platform, free of any hidden charges or commissions, that enables farmer entrepreneurs to rent their existing tractors and implements of any brand to farmers who seek to hire modern feature rich products to boost their farm income. JFarm Services is also collaborating with various State Governments to offer customized solutions to increase farm mechanization amidst small and marginal farmers below the poverty line.”

Farmers can hire equipment via the JFarm Services android app, contacting the toll-free helpline 1800-4-200-100 or the local Custom Hiring Centres. The App can be used on low-cost Android phones and is designed to run on very little data. Farmers who don’t own smart or feature phones can use the toll-free helpline. The platform also provides periodic updates on local weather, market, agri-news and mandi prices without any fee.

About JFarm: JFarmServices.in
TAFE established JFarm India in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 1964 with an objective of empowering farmers with advanced farm technologies to increase farm productivity and meet India’s growing food demands. Over the years, JFarm has worked through several challenging situations from limited water availability to inputs costs to the shortage of labour and has developed a viable and sustainable model that contributes to improved farm productivity, profitability and livelihood opportunities. In November 2016, TAFE inaugurated JFarm Rajasthan, an advanced agri-research center in Bhawanimandi, Jhalawar District. The company also signed an MoU with the Rajasthan Government to set up Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) in six zones across the State.

About TAFE: tafe.com
The world’s third largest tractor manufacturer and second largest in India by volumes with an annual sale of over 150,000 tractors; TAFE is one of the leading exporters of tractors from India with a turnover in excess of INR 93 billion. TAFE manufactures a range of tractors in both the air-cooled and water-cooled platforms and markets them under its four iconic brands - Massey Ferguson, TAFE, Eicher, and the recently acquired Serbian tractor and agricultural equipment brand - Industrija Mašina i Traktora (IMT). Acclaimed for its quality and dependability, TAFE’s products and services are present in over 100 countries across the world, including developed countries in Europe and the Americas.

TAFE’s adaptive agriculture research centre JFarm has developed a model of integrated farm practices suitable for small to large farms resulting in enhanced productivity. It follows a balanced approach to nutrient management with emphasis on low cost in-farm input creation, supported by mechanization, tested soil and water management practices, appropriate crop and seed selection, advanced crop production and protection technologies to make farming more sustainable and profitable.

Besides tractors and farm machinery, TAFE manufactures diesel engines, silent gensets, batteries, hydraulic pumps and cylinders, gears and transmission components, and has business interest in vehicle franchises and plantations. TAFE is committed to the Total Quality Movement (TQM). In the recent past various manufacturing plants of TAFE have garnered numerous ‘TPM Excellence Awards’ from the Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM), as well as a number of other regional awards for TPM excellence. TAFE became the first Indian tractor manufacturer to win the Frost & Sullivan Global Manufacturing Leadership Award in 2018, being recognized with the ‘Enterprise Integration and Technology Leadership Award’ and two ‘Supply Chain Leadership Awards’. In recognition of its outstanding contribution to engineering exports, TAFE has been named the ‘Star Performer – Large Enterprise (Agricultural Tractors)’ at the 40th Engineering Exports Promotion Council of India – Southern Region Awards (2015-16), for the 21st time in a row. TAFE has also been conferred the ‘Regional Contributor Award’ for quality supplies from Toyota Motor Company, Japan, and the ‘Manufacturing Supply Chain Operational Excellence - Automobiles Award’ at the second Asia Manufacturing Supply Chain Summit for its supply chain transformation in 2013. TAFE's tractor plants are certified under ISO 9001 for efficient quality management systems and under ISO 14001 for environment friendly operations.

Links:
Site - JFarmServices.in     |     Android App - JFarm Services     |     Facebook - JFarm Services