Initial Commercial Tests  on  indigenous    or  imported   proto-type  machines ready  for commercial production.

Batch Test  on  machines  which   have  already  undergone Initial Commercial Test and or are being manufactured commercially in the country.

Test in accordance with OECD Standard Test Code shall be   undertaken  on the machines in commercial production on the specific   request  of  the  manufacturer/ applicant exclusively for export purposes.

Machines may be tested at the request in writing of the manufacturer/accredited importers referred to as "Applicant" herein-after.

  Tests will be carried out at the discretion of the Director, Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute, Budni or Director of any of the Regional Institutes, herein-after referred to as "Testing Authority" to whom application on prescribed form may be addressed. For testing of tractors, only Director, CFMT&TI, Budni will be recognized as "Testing Authority" for the whole country.

All the tests will be conducted as per relevant BIS Test Code. If for any machine/ component the BIS test code is not available, the test procedure shall be framed by the Testing Authority whose decision shall be final.

  The lumpsum amount of test fee wherever applicable or the estimated expenditure will be intimated to the applicant who will deposit it in advance through a Bank Draft drawn on the Bank mentioned in the application form in favour of the Director of the Institute. The test fee advance deposited in respect of the machine for which lumpsum testing charges have not been fixed will be adjusted at the end of test. The applicant shall deposit the balance charges, if any, in the manner indicated above, before test report is released.

For the machines, where lumpsum testing charges have not been fixed, the testing charges shall constitute the following : 

The cost of fixtures etc. which are not normally available at the Institute and which are found necessary for working of the machine under test and all special stores items shall be borne by the Applicant.

Parts and assemblies of machines worn out or damaged during the test may be handed over at the discretion of the Testing Authority only after the test report has been released.

The applicant will make his own arrangements to collect the machine within one month of intimation by the Testing Authority.  If the applicant fails to remove the machine in this period, the applicant will be liable for payment of ground rent as fixed by the Testing Authority for a period not exceeding four months. After the expiry of 3 months, one month notice will be served on the applicant by the Testing Authority. If the applicant fails to remove the machine within this period, the machine will become the property of the Institute and may be disposed off by auction at the discretion of the Testing Authority. 

If any un-patented machine or a machine in respect of which a proper application for patent has not been duly made, is submitted for test, it will not be published or disclosed to the public by the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, or Regional Institutes and the matter will be treated as confidential so that the right of the inventor or a person claiming through him to get a patent for a machine is not prejudiced.

If in the course of testing a machine/component, any invention and/or developments originate from the officers of the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, the Government may at the discretion take out separate patents to protect the subject matter invented and/or developed.

  If the test on a machine submitted for confidential test have been conducted as per relevant commercial test procedure in all respects, then on the request in writing of the applicant, the Testing Authority, after satisfying himself may permit conversion of nature of test from "Confidential" to "Commercial".

If a machine is already in commercial production in India, the sample for batch test shall be new and be selected by the Testing Authority or his accredited representative at random from series production. No alteration/modification that would alter its practical performance shall be allowed thereafter.

  If the test is related to some branch of development work on which the Testing Institute is engaged, the whole or any part of the test fee may be remitted with the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture. No test fee or other charges will be levied for commercial testing of machines developed by research units for ICAR or other Semi-Government Organisations, Universities or State Government Departments.

  The Commercial Test Report may be used commercially by the applicant and may be published in full without any alteration or omission. No extract or abbreviated version shall be published without the written approval of Testing Authority.

  The applicant may mention in advertisement that the machine/component has been tested at the Central Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, Budni or Regional Institutes (as the case may be) and shall invariably quote the number of the Test Report in advertisement. All the pamphlets or advertisements meant for public should indicate only performance values observed by the Testing Authority.

The Government of India reserves the right to publish or communicate to any person or body the results either wholly or in part together with such comments and additional information as they think desirable.

  In case of machines which are marketed and are not tested for the benefit of the farmer, the Institute on the direction of the Government, reserves the right to carry out commercial test on any such machine sold in the country and to publish the result thereof.

In case of damage to or breakdown of any particular component during the course of testing, the applicant may replace the part with a new one having the same specifications, Testing Authority may at its discretion permit replacement of any component which the applicant has learnt is defective on account of material or workmanship. However, replacement of complete assemblies shall not be permitted. If major breakdown occurs, necessitating replacement of major assemblies, the applicant may be allowed to withdraw the machine.

In case the machine is withdrawn from test because of reasons stated above, the applicant shall have to submit another machine after incorporation of required changes or replacements. The test report of the first machine containing the results of tests conducted and clearly stating the reasons for non-completion of tests, shall be released immediately after withdrawal of the machine from test. The test report of second machine shall contain a reference to the testing of the earlier machine.

On the machines for which Minimum Performance Standards (MPS) have been prescribed by the Government, the applicant may opt for supplementary test for such parameter which do not meet the requirement of MPS.  Separate guidelines of MPS are annexed at Annexure - A.

   In case of Tractor & Power Tillers,  applicants need to declare all variants along with base model. The scope of variants is annexed at Annexure - B.

Results obtained will be the property of the applicant and will not be communicated to any person or body without the applicant’s consent. The applicant shall neither publish the report nor any extract from it nor divulge test results to any other person or body without prior written approval of the Testing Authority. The report shall not be used for commercial purpose.

In case of confidential test, adjustment, modification or alteration in the machine may be permitted at the discretion of Testing Authority.

The applicant shall supply in English (and if available, also in Hindi) three copies each of published literature, detailed specifications, operator and service (workshop) manuals and illustrated parts catalogue of the machine. Any other details required by the Testing Authority shall also be supplied. These shall be retained at the Institute.

The operation, maintenance and servicing of the machine shall be carried out according to the procedure laid down in the manufacturer’s printed literature unless otherwise specified by the applicant prior to the commencement of the test. Where choices of adjustments or operating conditions are made by the applicant, the guide in making such choice will be the one suitable for general operations, In case of doubt, the opinion of the Testing Authority will be deemed as final.

   It will be the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the machine is in good condition. In case the machine requires running in, the same will be carried out, in consultation with the Testing Authority, before submission of machine for testing. Details of running in should be supplied by the applicant at the time of submitting application.

  Facilities to tune-up, adjust and initially set-up and run-in of the machine before the actual tests commence will be allowed to the applicant. In case of commercial testing, no adjustment shall ordinarily be permitted during the actual tests.

  Two representatives of the applicant with proper letter of authority will be permitted to witness the test at the discretion of the Testing Authority. The representatives may be allowed to collect necessary factual data about the performance of the machine on the clear understanding that the name of the Testing Authority shall not be associated with any data so collected by the representative or published by the applicant.

  Permission to collect the data on performance of machine during the tests shall be granted at the discretion of the Testing Authority.

For conducting field performance tests on tractors, the applicant may supply implements designed for use with the tractor failing which the tests will be carried out with implements/ attachments  available with the Testing Authority. In such cases, the Testing Authority will not be responsible for any damage to or variation in the performance of machine.

  Neither the Testing Authority nor anybody engaged in this behalf for conducting tests will be held responsible for any accident, damage or loss whatsoever, to the machine/component/ equipment which may occur while in custody, storage, transit and/or during the tests.

  When special tests are required to be carried out, all expenditure will be payable by the applicant.

The schedule of fees may be reviewed and altered if necessary with reference to cost of maintenance of equipment and apparatus used and labour and time spent on testing, with the approval of the Ministry.

  The applicant shall also supply special tools, if any, required for servicing, adjustment, major repairs of the machine alongwith list thereof.

In the case of machines which during tests are also required to be run on public roads, the applicant will arrange for necessary permission under the Motor Vehicle Act if so required.

For component tests such as agricultural discs, ploughs, shares, cultivator tynes etc. the applicant should supply a complete unit of the standard machine for which the components are meant to be fitted. In case of agricultural discs, a complete disc harrow and/or also plough should be submitted if required by the Testing Authority.

  The testing of machine/components shall be commenced by the Testing Authority only after completion of all formalities by the applicant as indicated in these regulations.

  On completion of test and payment of testing charges in full, a copy of the ‘draft’ test report shall be made available to the applicant for scrutiny and comments. In the case of applicants in India, the applicant shall furnish comments within 15 days, and for the applicants from abroad or in case where the reports are to be referred to the principals in the foreign country, the comments would be furnished in 40 days time. In case the applicant fails to submit comments within the stipulated time, the Testing Authority may release the final test report. In case of commercial test report, such of the applicants comments which contribute technically to the contents of the test report will be included in the test report under a separate chapter referred to as "Applicant’s Comments" at the discretion of the Testing Authority.

  In case the test reports are printed at the cost of applicant over and above the testing advance deposited by them, 20 copies of the test reports shall be supplied to the applicant free of cost.   However, if the cost of printing of the test report is paid by the Institute, only 3 copies of the test reports shall be supplied to the applicant free of cost. Additional copies shall be supplied on payment of cost that may be fixed by the Testing Authority from time to time.

  The test report issued by the Testing Authority on a particular model or sample of machine/ implement/component etc. applies only to that particular model/brand submitted for test.

  The test reports issued by the Testing Authority contain only the data obtained on a particular sample of a model/brand tested by the Testing Authority but these do not in anyway signify the approval of the Government or the Testing Authority of the models or sample tested.

  No interim test report shall be issued on a machine while under test.

  The Government of India reserves the right to change these regulations at any time as may be found necessary without any notice to anybody and such changes will be binding on all concerned.

A fee equal to half of the amount of test fees fixed in respect of the test carried out on the machine will be charged for each expression of the opinion issued.

It is in the discretion of the Testing Authority to issue the expression of opinion or not. The Director shall obtain the approval of the Government of India before issue of such expression of opinion.

The expression of opinion is confidential to the applicant who will not publish it except the prior approval in writing obtained from the Testing Authority.