Farmers’ groups question new tractor emission norms

Farmers’ organizations have appealed to the Center not to treat tractors as commercial vehicles after an expert committee appointed by the Union government and headed by agronomist and academician Indra Mani recommended ‘Tractor Emission Norms (TREM) Phase V’ from October 1, 2026.

In a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday, they said the stricter emission norms should apply only to tractors above 70 horse power (HP), which are generally used for non-agricultural purposes.

Mr Chouhan, Prof. He held consultations with farmers, tractor-tiller industry representatives, scientists and officials from various government departments to discuss the report prepared by Mani. Farmers have expressed concerns that most of the tractor brands they use may not comply with TREM Phase V norms and appealed to the Center to relax the norms. Industries had also earlier requested that tractors below 50 HP be exempted from complying with the proposed norms. There has been an increase in tractor sales in the last two months.

I’m talking Hindu After the meeting, Samyukt Kisan Morcha-Non-Political (SKM-NP) leader Dharmerndra Malik said that the recommendations of the expert committee were discussed in the meeting and Mr. Chouhan also agreed that tractors used by farmers cannot be compared with commercial vehicles.

“The minister asked the civil servants to conduct a detailed assessment of the pollution levels from tractors used by farmers and compare it with the emissions of other vehicles. We were told that the Ministry of Agriculture will give its opinion after this report,” Malik said.

SKM-NP and other farmer organizations said they oppose TREM-IV and TREM-V emission norms for tractors on the grounds that it could seriously increase the economic burden and hardship of farmers. “New emissions regulations will force farmers to buy new tractors and increase their debt. The only beneficiaries will be the producers,” Mr. Malik said. “We agree that strict emission norms are appropriate for tractors above 70 HP, which are mostly used for commercial or industrial purposes. However, small farmers using lower HP tractors should not be affected,” he said in his presentation before the meeting.

crop insurance

In another meeting, where Mr. Chouhan interacted virtually with some farmer groups from Maharashtra, issues related to demand payments under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana came up. Mr. Chouhan said farmers will not face any hardship under any circumstances. “Getting claims of ₹1, ₹3, ₹5 or ₹21 is a mockery of farmers and the government will not allow this to continue,” the minister said. Mr. Chouhan ordered an investigation into the matter and instructed insurance companies and authorities to ensure prompt and simultaneous payment of damages. “Damage assessment needs to be done through an accurate system and has instructed officials to make the necessary changes to the plan provisions to eliminate inconsistencies,” the government said in a statement.