Groundnut Digger

Problem: The Innovator observed the difficulties faced by farmers in digging the groundnut. He often used to discuss the pain points with them. The major pain points that came out of the discussions were lack of availability of labour and high cost, breaking of groundnut pods, or being left in the ground after harvesting that would result in huge losses. He developed a tractor-operated plough to address these challenges.

Solution: Developed a tractor-operated plough to address the above problems. It is a tractor-mounted PTO-powered machine with a telescopic propeller shaft suitable for tractors of 35 HP and above to dig out and uproot the groundnut. Harvesting blade (V-shaped) helps in uprooting. The blade has been hardened by treating at a very high temperature in oil and can work in different kinds of soil. The uprooted groundnuts are collected using a conveyor belt. The belt keeps vibrating because of this the pods are cleaned off the attached soil. Opening the collection box helps with the drying of groundnuts. The machine can be customized for different types of soil.

Mobile Groundnut Thresher

Problem: Taking forward his profound knowledge and proficiency in the Groundnut agriculture field, the innovator came across the thought that there is still so much labor and waste of time involved in lifting the dried groundnut pod and de-shelling it with the help of a thresher. This is a tedious process and the time spent in this process results in delaying the next sowing cycle in the farm.

Solution: Considering the rapidly changing environmental conditions and delays caused by each process of groundnut agriculture, Sanjay Bhai innovated a mobile groundnut thresher. This machine is operated with the help of a tractor of 45 HP or above. It will lift the dugout crops and automatically thresh them. There are separate storage compartments for groundnut shells and leaves. Thus, it can do threshing and keep the farm clean by storing everything in the different compartments.

This mobile groundnut thresher was developed for both Groundnut and Chickpea (Chana) Crops. The major advantage of the machine is that it requires almost no labor and it can save a lot of time. Successful trial runs of this machine over 100 acres of land have shown satisfactory results. The operation of the machine has helped the farmer to reduce costs and increase the time efficiency in the fields. It can cover 1 to 1.5 acres of land in an hour. There is little running maintenance on the machine.

Social and environmental impact: The machine saves labor costs, operating time, and other costs of operation in harvesting compared to conventional methods. Since females are generally employed in harvesting operations, it releases women from the drudgery and dangers of harvesting.