Agricultural Equipment and Machinery Usage Projection: Elazığ Province, Türkiye

With the rapidly developing technology in the word, increasing production in agriculture and saving labor and time increases the importance of agricultural mechanization. Traditional methods are being replaced by modern agricultural equipment and machines that require high costs. In order to effectively plan this high cost investments, it is of great impor tance to analyze the current status of agricultural mechanization at the country, region and provincial level and the change between years. Determining the number of agricultural equipment and machinery in Elazığ province and the changes over the years along with making projections for the future is important in terms of planning agricultural equipment, effective use, use of new technology and development of policy instruments. In this study, the agricultural equipment and machinery usage projection of Elazığ province was estimated. Projection coefficients were calculated with the chain index method based on the change in usage amounts of agricultural equipment and machines commonly used in plant production in Elazığ province between 2013 and 2023. The highest projection coefficient values of the tools and machines used in crop production in Elazığ province were determined in tillage tools and machines with 16.979% in bottom boiler, in sowing, maintenance and fertilizing machines with 8.676% in tractor-drawn grain seeder, in plant protection machines with 11.708% in atomizer, in harvesting and threshing machines with 21.903% in motor scythe. The highest projection coefficient in combine harvesters was found in 0-5 year old combine harvesters with 17.584%, while it was calculated in single-axle tractors with 14.682% in >5 HP tractors, and in double-axle tractors with 7.925% in 25-34 HP tractors. Therefore, with this study it is predicted that the number of equipment and machines with high projection coefficients in Elazığ province will increase rapidly until 2033.