India’s first CNG Tractor to be launched tomorrow; could save Rs one lakh annually on fuel costs for farmers

India’s first-ever diesel Tractor, converted to CNG, will be formally launched by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari tomorrow.

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.

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Union Ministers  Dharmendra Pradhan, Narendra Singh Tomar, Parshottam Rupala and Gen (Retd)  VK Singh will also be present at the launch. 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.

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