TAFE’s free of cost tractor rental platform – ‘JFarm Services’ integrated with TN Govt’s Uzhavan App

• Uzhavan App used by 3.39 lakh farmers in Tamil Nadu integrates ‘JFarm Services’ for Tractor Rental
• ‘JFarm Services’ – India’s leading tractor and farm equipment rental platform
• Farmer-2-Farmer model (F2F) – Farmers can offer all brands of tractors and implements on rent
• Aids rural entrepreneurship and generates additional revenue for farmers

February 05, 2019 | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: 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 launched in Tamil Nadu in partnership with the State Government, by the Chief Guest, the Honorable Chief Minister Sri. Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and Guests of Honor, the Honorable Minister of Agriculture - Sri. R. Doraikkannu, and Principal Secretary – Department of Agriculture Sri. Gagandeep Singh Bedi IAS, Government of Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Govt’s Uzhavan app offers 12 key agriculture services to farmers, that include real-time information on crop prices and weather updates, subsidy and government schemes forms, crop insurance and compensation. The JFarm Services App is being integrated with the Uzhavan app to offer farmers information on tractor and farm machinery rental services – the unique Farmer-2-Farmer feature allows farmers to rent their existing tractors and farm equipment to other farmers seeking to hire them.

About 65% of the rural population in Tamil Nadu relies on agriculture as the source of income and around 92% of land holdings in the state are owned by small and marginal farmers with limited access to mechanization. TAFE’s JFarm Services aims to increase easy access to farm mechanization solutions through rental of tractors and modern farm equipment to these small and marginal farmers, provide localized weather forecast, latest mandi prices, agri-news alerts and advisory, enhancing their productivity and increasing their income significantly.

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO - TAFE, said: “Tamil Nadu is a frontrunner in agriculture productivity and leads in the production of Rice, Maize, Oilseeds and Groundnut. There is ample opportunity to sustain and improve agri-sector growth in our state and farm mechanization will be vital to achieving this potential. TAFE, through JFarm Services has collaborated with the Government of Tamil Nadu to support the state in making farm mechanization available to small and marginal farmers through the shared economy model, to create sustainable agricultural productivity and growth for the state. JFarm Services is TAFE’s CSR initiative that aims to support the farmers of Tamil Nadu by providing them easy access to farm mechanization as we progress towards the Tamil Nadu Government’s vision of doubling farm production and tripling farmers’ income.”

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, President & COO, Product Strategy & Corporate Relations - TAFE, said: “TAFE’s JFarm Services launched in the TN Government’s Uzhavan app offers a transparent farmer-to-farmer platform, free of any hidden charges or commissions, that enables farmers to rent their existing tractors and implements of any brand to other farmers seeking to hire modern feature-rich agricultural equipment. Through this integration with the Uzhavan app, JFarm Services along with the Tamil Nadu government, will offer customized solutions to increase farm mechanization amidst small and marginal farmers, especially those below the poverty line.”

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 Tamil 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 has a presence in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, and has directly benefitted about 80,000 users resulting in over 380,000 hours in hired farm machinery usage. In a short span of time, JFarm Services has become India’s largest and biggest player in farm equipment aggregation operations. About 'JFarm' and 'JFarm Services': 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 focuses on sustainable agriculture, adapting existing technologies in farming for local farming conditions and sharing this knowledge with farmers.

JFarm Services is an initiative by TAFE to increase easy access to farm mechanization solutions through rental of tractors and farm equipment for small and large farms, localized weather forecast, latest mandi prices, agri-news alerts and advisory.

Small and marginal farmers, who hold about 85% of the land holdings in India may not be able to afford ownership of tractors or implements. JFarm Services bridges this gap by connecting these farmers with tractor and equipment owners through its Farmer-2-Farmer platform. Farmers can explore and book nearby equipment through:

JFarm Services Android App | OR Toll-free helpline: 1800-4-200-100 / 1800-208-4242

This free app connects 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 fulfill their respective requirements.

With the creation of this platform comprising farm machinery owners and users, JFarm Services has impacted the lives of over 80,000 farmers across 9 states in India since its inception in 2017. Currently, JFarm Services (JFS) operates in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Telangana besides Tamil Nadu - making farm mechanization viable and affordable to all.