REGIONAL CENTRE- INDUSTRIAL EXTENSION PROJECT, COIMBATORE

 

Tractor mounted turmeric harvester	Cardomom drier	Curry leaf stripper

Activities: 

The Industrial Extension Project has been playing the quintessential role of pivotal agency in transfer of mechanization technologies by linking the product with producer and user with the following main objectives

1.     To provide continuous technical and marketing assistance to small manufacturers to conduct economic and market evaluation studies to determine the improved designs of prototypes that will have potential for large scale adoption.

2.  To carry out thorough field-testing programmes, determination of performance characteristics of small farm equipments under varying field conditions in different regions.

3.      To modify and adapt designs and carry out development work to suit field conditions.

4.      To promote the appropriate mechanical technology through field demonstration involving both farmers and manufacturers.

5.     To liaise with manufacturers / entrepreneurs in taking up the manufacture of adopted equipment, product improvement and strength of their manufacturing units.                             

Achievements

Transfer of Technology

• The Centre carried out development activity in a very big way in collaboration with manufacturers and government agencies.

• Demonstrations and training  for operation of farm equipment in paddy growing areas of Southern states. These demonstrations have helped the manufacturers in marketing the farm equipment.

• Mat type nursery for mechanised rice transplanting

• Improvement and commercialisation of High capacity axial flow threshers

• Extending Machine Bank Services to manufacturers for self-propelled reaper, axial flow thresher and transplanter

• Liaisoning, guidance and quality control for manufacture of rice-based machinery.

• Development of Production process for manual cono weeders for wetlands with injection-moulded polypropylene based plastic rotors. (Photo link 1)

• Popularisation of soy based bakery products

• Popularization of Sitting type groundnut decorticator and turmeric processing equipment

Research and Development

• An improved straight flow peg tooth paddy thresher 

• A multicrop reaper harvester for intercropping system with safflower and rainfed farming 

• A 400 kg capacity Liquefied Petroleum Gas fired deep bed forced flow type small cardamom drier. 

• Development of process  to increase shelf life of fresh curry leaf, a leafy spice used in South Indian cuisine for flavouring purpose. 

• Forced flow type dryer for curry leaf (50 kg capacity) 

• An electrically powered curry leaf stripper with a capacity of about 15-20 kg/h with stripping efficiency of about 90-95 per cent as an alternative to hand stripping of curry leaves in spices industry. 

• Tractor mounted turmeric harvester with field capacity of 0.16 ha/h and field efficiency of 98.5 per cent. 

• Batch type multiplier onion peeler with the peeling efficiency of 92 %.

Ongoing Projects

Development/adoption of power weeder for cassava planted in mounds in sloppy terrain (Collaborative project with CTCRI, Trivandrum)

Development of a suitable bud chipping machine for sugarcane and mechanical planter for seedlings in poly bags raised from sugarcane bud chips (Collaborative project)

Development of motorized bunch harvesting tool for medium tall oil palm (Collaborative project with DOPR, Pedvegi-funded by DOPR) [ Under the Programme Harvesting Systems for Fruits and Plantation     Crops ]

Entrepreneurship development for processing equipment in selected village in Coimbatore district

Development/adoption of manual transplanter for system of rice intensification  (SRI) for marginal farms

Development of potting machine for spices nursery (Collaborative project with Indian Institute of Spice Research, Calicut)

For Further information please contact:

HEAD, CIAE INDUSTRIAL EXTENSION PROJECT,

TNAU CAMPUS, COIMBATORE – 641 003, TAMIL NADU

TELEFAX: 91-422-2434276

Email: sjackanna@yahoo.co.in