Updated: 4 October 2026
Meghalaya has no published subsidy for buying a tractor. The Department of Agriculture says it bought tractors, power tillers, JCBs, bulldozers and power reapers itself and gives them to farmers on hire at subsidised rates, and that the purchase subsidy it offers is for power tillers, power reapers and irrigation pumps. A farmer who wants to own a tractor has to buy it on a loan or from savings.
The state schemes are run by the Mechanical Wing of the Department of Agriculture. They are offline schemes handled through block and district offices. No state portal for machinery subsidy is named on the Department's page.
The schemes that exist
| Scheme | What it covers | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture Engineering (Mechanical) Plan Scheme | Tractors, power tillers, bulldozers, power reapers, pumps and threshers bought by the Department and given on hire | 60% subsidised hire rates (Department's wording) |
| Scheme on Supply of Power Tillers and Pumpsets / Other Agricultural Machineries | Power tillers for small and marginal farmers; the Department's page does not give a percentage | Not published on the Department's page |
| Loan-cum-Subsidy Scheme | Power tillers, power reapers, irrigation pumps | Subsidy on purchase; rate not published |
| Agriculture Engineering (Workshop) Plan Scheme | Repair and housing for the machines hired out | No subsidy for farmers |
| Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) | Central scheme to raise farm power to 2 kW per hectare; farmers encouraged to buy machinery at subsidised rates | See the national table below |
One secondary guide describes the same Mechanical scheme as a 60% subsidy on purchase of power tillers and diesel pumpsets, plus a subsidy for hiring. The Department's page speaks of hire at 60% subsidised rates. The two descriptions differ, so ask the office which applies in the year you apply.
Why Meghalaya leans on power tillers
- Farm power: the Department puts farm power at 0.7 kW per hectare against a national average of 2.0 kW per hectare.
- Terrain: the Department calls Meghalaya a hilly state with undulating terrain and small holdings, so power tillers are a key tool in tillage.
- Impediments named by the Department: small and fragmented holdings, high cost of owning farm equipment, and few credible financing options for farmers.
- Fleet on hire: 156 power tillers, 15 tractors, 32 power reapers, 2 JCBs, 3 bulldozers and 2 trucks (the page gives no year).
What the national SMAM table allows
The SMAM guidelines revised in 2018-19 give beneficiaries from SC, ST, small and marginal farmers, women and the North Eastern states 50%, and others 40%. These are limits per machine, and whether Meghalaya passes them on for tractors is not stated on the Department's page.
| Machine (2018-19 SMAM) | Limit, 50% group | Limit, 40% group |
|---|---|---|
| Tractor 2WD, 8 to 20 PTO HP | ₹2.00 lakh | ₹1.60 lakh |
| Tractor 2WD, above 20 to 40 PTO HP | ₹2.50 lakh | ₹2.00 lakh |
| Tractor 2WD, above 40 to 70 PTO HP | ₹4.25 lakh | ₹3.40 lakh |
| Power tiller, 8 BHP and above | ₹0.85 lakh | ₹0.70 lakh |
| Power tiller, below 8 BHP | ₹0.65 lakh | ₹0.50 lakh |
Who can apply and how selection works
- Eligibility: a resident of Meghalaya who is a bonafide farmer engaged in agriculture (secondary guide).
- Selection: bonafide farmers are selected on a first come first served basis (secondary guide).
- Documents: the application is written on plain paper with copies of the mandatory documents, self-attested if required. The list is not published in the sources used.
How to apply
- Write an application on plain paper for the machine you want.
- Attach copies of the documents the office asks for, self-attested where required.
- Submit it to the nearest Agriculture Development Officer at the CD Block or Agriculture Circle.
- Follow up with the District Agriculture Officer, the Sub-divisional Officer or the Assistant Agriculture Engineer (Mechanical), who are named as the contact points.
After selection, the Department's pages do not describe a purchase window, dealer choice, bill upload or DBT payment step. No application window or last date is published.
If you still want to buy a tractor
- Hire first: the Department's own fleet includes 15 tractors, so hiring may be possible before you commit to buying.
- Loan: see tractor loans and the EMI calculator.
- Price: tractor prices and the on-road price tool.
- Dealers and implements: tractor dealers and implements. For other schemes, use the subsidy finder.
Contact
District Agriculture Officers, Sub-divisional Officers, Agriculture Development Officers in the blocks and the Assistant Agriculture Engineer (Mechanical) are the named offices. The Directorate of Agriculture is at the Secretariat, Shillong. No helpline number is published in the sources used.
The national picture is on the tractor subsidy overview.
Sources
- Department of Agriculture, Government of Meghalaya, Overview of Farm Mechanization
- CitizenNest, Agriculture Engineering (Mechanical) Scheme, Meghalaya (secondary source for application route and selection)
- Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization, guidelines revised in 2018-19 (DAC&FW, agrimachinery.nic.in)