Patiala, Dec. 8 -- More than half of the farmers in Punjab's agriculture hotbed Malwa region do not own any modern agricultural equipment, a research study by Punjabi University has found.

The findings, released on Sunday, reveal that 53% farmers continue to depend on rented machinery or wage labour for cultivation.

Only 24% farmers own a tractor as their sole modern implement, while a mere 18% possess both a tractor and a trolley. A negligible 5% own a combine harvester, shows the study.

The doctoral study, conducted by Ravinder Kaur under the supervision of Surjit Singh, professor of department of Punjabi, concluded that the majority of the farmers in these areas fell under the small and medium landholding category, thereby, limiting...