It was mostly window shopping

But those who did buy something plumped for mainly non-farming items. Although the fair’s main attraction is the wide array of farming equipment, the first day saw very few people, especially farmers, buying the expensive machines.

Explaining the trend, a farmer from Chikmagalur district said he and his co-workers usually did not make purchases at the fair. “You know these farming equipment are very expensive. Each is worth thousands of rupees. Hence, we just enquire about the equipment, get the dealers’ contact number and call them later if we want to buy,” he said.

The equipment are indeed quite expensive. For example, a chaff cutter along with a motor comes at Rs 67,000. A power sprayer costs Rs 45,000. Other equipment are also priced in the same range. One would make due diligence before buying them.