Agriculture was the main sector that provided growth in the Ottoman economy during the nineteenth century. The process of integration with the world economy (specialization in production and exportation of agricultural products), brought the use of modern machines and techniques to Ottoman agriculture. Government policies, private investment, labor scarcity and railways had positive effects on the spread of mechanization. However, the high price of these machines, alone, was enough to cancel all the positive effects in an economy where per capita incomes were very restricted. Several other facts related with modern machines, such as their being too heavy for the native animal species, lack of accessories and service network and various prejudices against them, only added to the problem of high prices. Thus, despite all attempts, the spread and the use of modern machines in Ottoman agriculture remained very limited.