San Francisco, Jan. 15 (AP) In an effort to solve some agricultural production problems, Attorney General Robert W. Kenny has taken steps intended to place in use as soon as possible hundreds of pieces of idle farm machinery owned by Japanese who now are in relocation centers.

Preliminary surveys made by Kenny's office, an announcement today said, indicate that in the southern part of the state alone there are at least 754 pieces of idle Japanese owned farm machinery. These include 270 tractors, 126 disc harrows, 105 cultivators.

"It is important," Kenny said, "That every available tractor, every cultivator, every disc harrow, every farm truck in California be put to its maximum daily chore in the war effort. Such farm machinery, belonging to the Japanese, is solving none of our pressing problems of food shortages if it remains stored in garages or warehouses.

"An 'out of use' sign on a tractor or cultivator at this moment will surely mean emptier shopping bags within a short time. From my preliminary reports it would seem that if the idle Japanese owned farm machinery were in active employment, a vast difference might be noted in our agricultural production this year."

The attorney general said that the machinery in question is being catalogued by the evacuee property division of the war relocation authority which, however, has no authority except to put the prospective purchaser of such property in touch with the owner."