Background

The historical background of farm mechanization in Pakistan has been tracked back to the report of the Royal Commission on Agriculture (1928) in which the commission had recognized the need for replacing the bullocks with tractor but stressed upon the need for proper research on different aspects of mechanization. As a result of recommendations by the commission, the Engineering Workshop of the Agriculture Department at Faisalabad, established in 1928 was strengthened to undertake research and development work on agricultural implements. Famine Inquiry Commission (1945) emphasized the need for reducing the pressure of animals on land by using tractors for cultivation.

The Pakistan Agricultural Inquiry Committee (1951) recognized the desirability of using machinery for rapid development of new lands and for cultivation of riverine tracts. The Food and Agricultural Commission (1960) also considered the scope of introducing mechanization. Revelle report (1964) commented on farm machinery and implements and suggested that major attention should be paid to the problem of designing agricultural equipment and proper systems suitable for small holdings. It also suggested the development of small horse power tractors. The five-year development plans have successively provided funds of the expansion of land development work with heavy machinery and for setting up of a network of agricultural workshops in the province (Report of the Farm Mechanization Committee, 1970).

The Agriculture Machinery Organization (AMO) was thus established in the Agriculture Department, Government of West Pakistan in Continuation of its activities already in progress under the “Power Farming”, Agriculture Research Station Faisalabad with the mandate of developing lands and augmenting water supplies with the help of machinery. Bulldozers and power drilling rigs were added to the system to supplement activities being under taken by the Thal Development Authority which later on merged into the Agricultural Engineering in 1970. Later on Directorate General Agriculture (Field) Punjab, Lahore  was established in  1973 as overall incharge of the Engineering Wing of the Agriculture Department and stands designated as Head of the Attached Department. There are five (5) Directorates namely Directorates of Agricultural Engineering (DAEs); each at Faisalabad, Multan & Lahore, Director of Soil Conservation (DSC), Rawalpindi and Director of Agricultural Mechanization Research Institute, Multan.