KOCHI: Sachidanandan Veliyath, a farmer hailing from North Aduvassery in the district won the prestigious Innovative Farmer Award instituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Sachidanandan, 65, received the award from Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh at a function organised as part of the National Agricultural Fair (Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela) in New Delhi on March 21. He was honoured for inventing a nutmeg decorticator, a devise to de-shell nutmeg seeds. Invention of the device significantly eased the laborious task of manually de-shelling nutmeg, which is uneconomical. The nutmeg decorticator, which is powered by a 0.5-hp electric motor, has the capacity to process 150 kg of nutmeg per hour and costs Rs.28,000. More than 140 farmers from across Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have purchased it.
Sachidanandan was selected as the ‘Best Innovative Farmer in the District’ by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra under the CMFRI, which recommended him for the prestigious award.