AID IN AGRICULTURE MECHANIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO INCREASING RICE PRODUCTION

Labor scarcity is a crucial issue in the development of food crop commodities. The complexity of work in rice farming, which starts from land cultivation, requires sufficient and skilled labor. The provision of agricultural mechanization can be a solution to overcome these problems. This paper aims to analyze the impact of agricultural mechanization on rice production. The data used is secondary data, namely the 2018 Inter-Census Agricultural Survey data sourced from the Central Buereu of Statistics and the 2019-2020 Agricultural Mechanization Aid Survey data sourced from the Ministry of Agriculture. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation. The results of the analysis show that the distribution of agricultural mechanization aid has been concentrated in rice production centers. There has been an increase in the use of agricultural mechanization by farmers, especially in lowland rice commodities. The correlation between the amount of agricultural mechanization aid and rice productivity is quite strong (0.479) and significant. The use of agricultural mechanization is considered to have an impact on increasing rice productivity by 84% of respondent farmers. Suggestions that can be given to optimize the use of agricultural mechanization aid are that intensive counseling and assistance are needed in the operation and maintenance of agricultural mechanization. Counseling is also directed at increasing the use of agricultural mechanization in areas of lowland rice production centers. To develop agricultural mechanization, it is advisable to consider the condition of the land, both paddy fields and dry land