FARMER DEVELOPS DRIER TO PRODUCE SMOKE-FREE COPRA
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| Sajeev, Thiruvambadi, Kozhikode |
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For young farmer Sajeev, Thiruvambadi, Kozhikode, the crashing price of coconut posed a challenge and an opportunity to device better ways of drying copra. Sajeev, whose farm produced 30000 coconuts per annum, had to accept the fact that the price of coconut fell from Rs.7 to Rs.2 and from there to the ultimate collapse of the market.
He
had earlier sold copra produced by smoke-drying.
Such copra would be blackened by smoke and would be unappealing to
the buyers. The alternate
method he devised involves burning husk and shell inside 2 large metallic
pipes and using the heat to dry copra kept in 2 layers above the pipes.
His
drier unit has capacity to produce copra from 1000 coconuts daily.
The wet coconut halves kept in the 1st layer are shifted
to the 2nd layer after 24 hours.
Again fresh coconuts are loaded on to the 1st layer.
The
unit cost him only Rs.8000. Since it uses husk and shell, there is no expense for fuel.
His
pipe-dried copra has better demand among buyers, he says.
And he is able to get an additional Rs.1 to Rs.1.50 per coconut
because of the processing.
Many
farmers of Thiruvambadi and Koorachundu have decided to install the
pipe-drier. Coconut
Development Board is providing subsidy for this.
Courtesy: T.K.S (text), Sunil Inframe (photo), Karshakashree, February 2001
Contributed by: Administrator
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