Farm Mechanisation Scheme (Matir Katha Portal)
An umbrella of four subsidy tracks — 50–60% on a power machine (cap ₹3 lakh), ₹10,000 on hand implements, 40% to set up a Custom Hiring Centre, and 80% for a Farm Machinery Bank.
Run by: Directorate of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal
- FSSM — one power machine
- 50–60%, cap ₹3 lakh
- OTA-SFI — hand tools
- 50%, cap ₹10,000
- Custom Hiring Centre
- 40% of a ₹20 lakh+ project
- Farm Machinery Bank
- 80% up to ₹30 lakh
Overview
West Bengal has run farm-machinery subsidy through pooled central and state funds since 2012-13, and the current guideline (Government Order No. 574, 7 July 2025) folds it into one umbrella scheme with four tracks. It runs on the Matir Katha DBT portal (wbfms.wb.gov.in), applies across the state except Kolkata district, and for 2025-26 was set at roughly ₹110 crore with a target of about 25,000 machines.
The two individual-farmer tracks: FSSM (Financial Support Scheme for Farm Mechanization, since 2012) pays 50–60% of the notified price of one power-operated machine — power tiller, rotavator, seed drill, thresher, reaper, sprayer, drone, mini rice/dal/oil mill and the like — capped at ₹3 lakh; large machines like tractors and combine harvesters are not covered here. OTA-SFI (One Time Assistance for Small Farm Implements, since 2013) pays 50% up to ₹10,000 for a set of hand tools — sprayer, cono-weeder, chaff cutter, seed drill, drum-seeder, seed trays.
The two group / entrepreneur tracks fund shared machinery. A Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) — a rural entrepreneur or an FPO/PACS/SHG that buys a fleet and rents it out — gets 40% of the project cost, a minimum subsidy of ₹8 lakh and up to ₹16 lakh for an individual (more for large projects), on a project of at least ₹20 lakh, as a credit-linked back-ended subsidy with a 5-year lock-in and 25% margin money. A Farm Machinery Bank / Hub (FMB/FMH), since 2023, gets 80% of the project cost up to ₹30 lakh (max ₹24 lakh above that); up to ₹10 lakh it comes straight as DBT, above that it is credit-linked with 10% margin money, and a 3% interest subvention is available by converging with the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
Who can apply: an individual farmer registered under Krishak Bandhu (Natun), or a graded SKUS/PACS/FPO/FIG/SHG/LAMPS, aged 18 to 70. Government and statutory-body employees and retirees, civic volunteers and contractual Group-D staff are barred, and neither the applicant nor the spouse may have taken any mechanisation-scheme benefit in the last four years. Where a block is oversubscribed, beneficiaries are picked by a videographed computerised lottery run GP-wise by the District Level Sanctioning Committee, with SC and ST reservation of at least 22% and 7%. After a sanction order you have 15 days (30 for a solar pump or oil/dal mill) to buy an ISI-marked machine from a portal-registered dealer and upload the bill for geo-tagged verification through the "WB FARM" app.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- 50–60% of the notified price of one power-operated machine, up to ₹3 lakh, under FSSM.
- 50% up to ₹10,000 for a set of manually operated implements under OTA-SFI.
- 40% of a Custom Hiring Centre project (minimum ₹20 lakh, individual subsidy up to ₹16 lakh), credit-linked and back-ended.
- 80% of a Farm Machinery Bank / Hub project up to ₹30 lakh, with a 3% interest subvention via the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
- Higher-tier machines a small farm cannot own — tractors, combine harvesters, transplanters — reachable through the CHC and FMB fleets.
- Runs statewide (except Kolkata) on one DBT portal, with Bangla Sahayata Kendra help for the online application.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Individual farmer registered under Krishak Bandhu (Natun), or a graded SKUS / PACS / FPO / FIG / SHG / LAMPS
- Aged 18 to 70 at the time of application
- Neither the applicant nor the spouse has taken any mechanisation-scheme benefit (FSSM / OTA-SFI / CHC / FMB) in the last four years
- Cultivable land on record — at least 0.5 acre for a power tiller or solar pump under FSSM
- For CHC / FMB: commercial or homestead ("bastu/viti") land for the shed, a bank loan tie-up, and the margin money (25% for CHC, 10% for FMB above ₹10 lakh)
Not covered
- Serving or retired employees of government, statutory bodies, panchayats or aided institutions; civic volunteers; contractual Group-D staff
- Land in Kolkata district
- A second mechanisation subsidy within four years of the last one
- Tractors, combine harvesters and 4+ row transplanters under FSSM — available only through CHC / FMB
- Machines bought before the sanction order, or from an unregistered dealer
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- EPIC (voter ID) and Aadhaar of the applicant and spouse
- Krishak Bandhu (Natun) registration number
- Record of Rights (land record)
- Active bank account and mobile number
- For CHC / FMB: project report, land title / lease, six-month bank statement, and machinery quotations
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Register and apply on Matir Katha
On wbfms.wb.gov.in during the notified window, pick the track and the machine from the portal's dealer list; a Bangla Sahayata Kendra can do the online entry for you.
- 2
Screening and lottery
The block committee (BLSC) verifies FSSM / OTA-SFI applications; the district committee (DLSC) handles CHC / FMB. Where demand exceeds the target, a GP-wise computerised lottery draws the priority list.
- 3
Sanction order, then buy
On sanction you have 15 days (30 for a solar pump or oil / dal mill) to buy the ISI-marked machine from a registered dealer and, for CHC / FMB, tie up the bank loan and deposit the margin money.
- 4
Verification and payment
A field officer geo-tags the machine on the "WB FARM" app; the subsidy is then paid by DBT (FSSM, OTA-SFI, FMB up to ₹10 lakh) or into a subsidy reserve fund at the bank (CHC, FMB above ₹10 lakh).
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- Per the scheme guideline, a grievance during implementation is settled by the District Deputy Director of Agriculture (Admn) with the District Level Sanctioning Committee, and at state level by the Director of Agriculture and ex-officio Secretary with the State Project Management and Technical Team. For a machine fault, hold the dealer to the warranty (one year, five years for a solar pump and controller) and after-sales terms. Keep your application serial number and sanction order.
- Beyond the department, use West Bengal's CMO grievance portal / Public Grievance Monitoring System at cmo.wb.gov.in — it is trackable and escalates to the Head of Department.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a tractor subsidy?
Not under the individual FSSM track, which stops at power tillers and self-propelled reapers. Tractors, combine harvesters and 4+ row transplanters are subsidised only as part of a Custom Hiring Centre or Farm Machinery Bank fleet.
How much for a single power machine?
50–60% of the notified (indicative) price, capped at ₹3 lakh, for one machine per beneficiary under FSSM. Hand tools are a separate 50% / ₹10,000 track (OTA-SFI).
Is it first-come-first-served?
No. Where a block gets more valid applications than its target, a computerised GP-wise lottery — videographed and run by the District Level Sanctioning Committee — draws the priority list.
I got a subsidy two years ago. Can I apply again?
No. Neither you nor your spouse can take another mechanisation-scheme benefit within four years of the last one.
Do I need to be a Krishak Bandhu member?
Yes, for an individual application — the Krishak Bandhu (Natun) registration number is required. Groups apply as a graded SKUS / PACS / FPO / SHG.
What is the difference between a CHC and a Farm Machinery Bank?
A CHC is a credit-linked 40% subsidy on a project of at least ₹20 lakh with 25% margin money; an FMB / FMH is an 80% subsidy up to a ₹30 lakh project, paid as DBT up to ₹10 lakh and credit-linked above that with only 10% margin money.
Where does the subsidy money go?
By DBT to your bank account for FSSM, OTA-SFI and a Farm Machinery Bank up to ₹10 lakh; into a subsidy reserve fund at the financing bank for a CHC and a larger Farm Machinery Bank, adjusted against the loan at the end of a 5-year lock-in.
Facts checked against wbfms.wb.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.