Pineapple harvesting machine comes as a boon to planters
Source: The Sangai Express / Ng Liklaileima Arambam

Imphal, August 07 2022: An indigenously developed pineapple harvesting machine has been able to reduce the risk associated with plucking pineapples from difficult hill slopes.

The pineapple harvesting machine was developed by the Department of Agriculture Engineering Wing of Central Agriculture University in 2018.Likmabam Tompok from Maklang village who is a pineapple grower said that the machine developed by CAU is very useful and it is like a robotic hand.

The spiny queen variety of pineapple is grown widely in the State, he said and added that plucking this variety is difficult.

Saying that an experienced farmer can pluck only 120 to 150 pineapples in an hour from hill slopes but the machine can easily pluck 300 to 350 pineapples in the same period without exposing the farmer to any risk, he continued that a farmer has to wear thick clothes, boots and hand gloves while plucking the pineapples from the hill slopes in a conventional method due to the spikiness of the plant.

Reportedly, Likmabam Tompok planted about 50 thousand pineapples this year.

Speaking to The Sangai Express, Head of Department of Agriculture Engineering Division of CAU, Associate Professor Joykumar stated that the pineapple harvesting machine is being operated by a motor and has a rod which is about one metre long with a blade attached to cut pineapples.

Saying that the motor has to be worn like a backpack and the blade is used to pluck pineapples, he added that the plucked fruit can be placed in a proper place using the clench attached to the rod.

The farmers don't even have to bend while plucking pineapples if the machine is used, he added.

Joykumar further stated that the machine was developed to solve the problems being faced by farmers in plucking pineapples to some extent.

Saying that farmers from Sinam Kom Tentha, Kangchup, Khousabung and some others have been given training to use the machine developed by CAU, he added that the same machine has also been purchased by ICAR, KVK Thoubal, ICAR Barak and some other farmers.

Further stating that the machine can be operated for nearly an hour with a litre of petrol, Joykumar continued that the machine, however, is not yet available in the market.

He said that interested farmers may place their order to buy the pineapple harvesting machine from the Agriculture Engineering Division of CAU directly at the rate of Rs 10,000 per piece.

Continuing that most of the farmers in Manipur use the traditional method of plucking pineapples due to lack of awareness about modem technology, he said that pineapple growers at Khoken near Sangaithel also hire people to pluck pineapples.

(The article is written under Media Fellowship Programme Scientific Journalism in application of science in agriculture of Public relation and Media Management Cell, CAU.

For further one may contact Dr Indira Thounaojam through [email protected]) .

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