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| A.M.Antony, Kammana, Mananthavady, Wayanad Ph: 04935- 240556 |
The need was simple but design considerations were complex when A.M.Antony, a pepper farmer from Kammana, Mananthavady set out to automate separation of pepper berries from stalk. The need was to sift berries from the harvest of his 5-acre farm. The design considerations included non injury to berries, non-abrasion of skin of overripe berries, sufficient speed and outturn. Antony donned the role of innovator and incrementally developed a machine capable of meeting his needs and subsequently the needs of quite a few farmers in Wayanad District.
A rubber roller and wire mesh are the key parts of the machine that is powered by a 1HP or ½ HP motor. The roller has 4 ribs and 2 openings to the front and back. The harvest is fed into the inlet chamber and the machine is switched on. By the nature of pepper stalks, these entwine and move into the space between weld mesh and roller. The roller pulls the berries and they separate by rubbing against weld mesh. If all the berries are not separated in one go, they are again subjected to a second round of sifting.
His machine can winnow 1 ton of pepper per hour. There are 2 models: one whose outer parts are made of wood and the other where metallic parts form outer parts. While the first one costs Rs.7000, the other costs Rs.11000.
He had earlier developed a rice winnowing machine when paddy was his main cultivation.
Courtesy:
Karshakashree, June,
2005
Contributed by: Administrator
