BHUBANESWAR: Dilip Baral, a progressive farmer from Nimapara block of Puri district, is on a mission to alleviate the drudgery of seed extraction.
He has developed an indigenous technology for de-seeding vegetables, which has not only made the seed production process easier and faster but also drawn the attention of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF). The Foundation has also filed for a design application and patent on his behalf.
Traditionally, seed production has always been a labour-intensive exercise mostly done by unskilled labourers.
Till 2007, Baral claimed, the Odisha market did not have a farm implement for seed extraction and the job was done manually.
The ripe vegetables would be harvested, crushed and allowed to ferment in non-metallic containers at room temperature for 10 to 12 hours till the gel surrounding the seeds is degraded by microorganisms.
After removal of the pulp, the seed would be cleaned in fresh water and dried. All manually, which entailed engagement of labour hands.
Tomatoes, for instance, were crushed with legs and four to five labourers could crush around eight quintal a day.
With an average production of 200 quintal from an acre of land, it would take more than a month for seed extraction.
Threshing method was used for removal of seeds from brinjal. Ripe brinjals would be cut into two pieces and kept in gunny bags for threshing by a moderately heavy wooden block. The process was fraught with high-damage results and utmost care was needed to ensure the seeds were not crushed during threshing.
With the extraction process needing huge manpower and no help coming forth from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Baral decided to innovate a machine for the purpose.
Using the concept of paddy thresher, the 52-year-old farmer developed a similar tool with a drum but did not get the desired result. He, however, did not stop trying and five years later in 2017 developed a vegetable deseeding machine with the help of a local lathe machine operator that worked.
The machine powered by an electric motor has the capacity to crush 10 quintal of tomato and three quintal of brinjal in an hour. With the machine to his aid, Baral has so far supplied over 50 quintal of tomato seeds and 60 quintal of brinjal seeds to the Odisha State Seeds Corporation.
“The machine has made the entire process very easy now. It does not just save time but is also economical for farmers who are into seed production”, said Baral who has won several awards for his innovative machine including the Mukhya Mantri Krushi Samman Award.