An investigation of the effectiveness of equipment and machinery subsidy in the agricultural sector: A case study of Karaman province

The purpose of this study is to investigate the quality and the quantity of supportive activities in the agricultural machinery sector and to create suggested solutions regarding the current and alternative supportive tools. It is aimed to provide a clear as possible picture of machinery and equipment support, to find out about its effectiveness, and to suggest solutions for potential problems through a critical look into subsidized milking and spraying machines in Karaman Province. The scope of this study consists of all machinery and equipment subsidized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry between 2007 and 2014, and machinery (especially milking and spraying machines) supported by subsidies in Karaman Province. Within the scope of the study, data gathered from the ministry sucsidy and testing records have been analysed. Besides this, some of the firms which received subsidized spraying machines in Karaman Province were chosen according to stratified sampling, and data were collected through face-to-face questionnaires. As for milking machines, the frequency and the ways of adjustments, maintenance and periodical testing after the first set-up have been identified on-site through questionnaires, observation, and assessments in the firms taking all the milking machines into consideration. In this study, the numbers and financial values of all the machinery and equipment subsidised in Karaman Province have been investigated. The way experimental reports, which are compulsory to prepare for each of the individual milking unit, were created and organised, their consistency with ISO standards, firm label values and the reports created have been investigated and discussed in this study. The reasons for the differences and changes between pulsator tests, which were carried out individually on each milking head in each firm and firm experiment report, which was the subject of the subsidy at the beginning, have been analysed via the statistical analyses carried out. Consequently, it has been concluded that films should be provided with training on periodic adjustment, maintenance, and utilisation of the machinery for the correct purposes besides the subsidies in purchase. Key Words: Machinery and equipment subsidy, Spraying machine, Milking machine, Milking machine testing.