India's first-ever CNG Tractor to be launched tomorrow

India's first-ever CNG Tractor will be launched on Friday, February 12, 2021. This will help farmers increase their income, by lowering costs and help to create job opportunities in rural India.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a tweet said, "Union Minister @nitin_gadkari to launch India's first CNG Tractor tomorrow; such tractors could save as much as Rs.1 lakh rupees annually on fuel costs for farmers.

The conversion, carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions & Tomasetto Achille India, will help farmers increase their income, by lowering costs and help to create job opportunities in rural India.

Road Transport and Highways Ministry said, the most important benefit for the farmer will be to save more than one lakh rupees annually on fuel costs, which will help them to improve their livelihood. It will also help farmers to save up to 50 per cent on the fuel cost as the current Diesel prices are around Rs 77 per litre whereas CNG is only Rs 42 per kilogram.

Important benefits of conversion to CNG are:

• It is a Clean Fuel as it has the lowest content of carbon and other pollutants.
• It is Economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating which helps in increasing the life of the engine and it requires less regular maintenance.
• It is Cheaper as CNG prices are far more consistent than fluctuating Petrol prices; also the average mileage of CNG vehicles is better than that of Diesel/Petrol driven vehicles.
• It is Safer as CNG tanks come with a tight seal, which reduces the possibility of explosion while refuelling or in the event of a spill.
• It is the Future as at present around 12 million vehicles are already powered by natural gas throughout the world and more companies & municipalities are joining the CNG movement every day.
• It is part of Waste to Wealth as stubble (Parali) can be used as a raw material for producing Bio-CNG which will help the farmers to earn money by selling it to the Bio-CNG production units in their locality

The more specific benefits of converting the Tractor to CNG for a farmer are:

• The test report indicates that the retrofitted tractor produces more power/equal in comparison to Diesel-run engine.
• Overall emissions are reduced by 70 per cent as compared to Diesel.
• It will help farmers to save up to 50 per cent on the fuel cost as the current Diesel prices are Rs 77.43/L whereas CNG is only Rs 42/kg.