Equipping farmers with machines

Of late, we see a number of efforts to ease farmers from the many challenges they encounter everyday, specifically the unavailability of farmhands. One such effort is made by T Manohar, who has designed many agricultural implements and grain-processing machines.

Manohar is a zealous farmer based in Ganjam village of Mandya district. He has been involved in manufacturing farm-related equipments for the past 25 years. After getting trained in the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru in 1980, Manohar started making modern farming gadgets.

His father, T Sukhojirao, had set up a small unit to manufacture bullock carts and other farm implements in 1946. Now Manohar has taken forward his legacy. What started as a journey to create traditional farming implements, it has now taken into its fold modern gadgets and millet-processing machines too.

Manohar is a regular visitor at most of the farm exhibitions in the State in tow with all his creations. In fact, he is so popular that agricultural universities recommend his machines to the farmers. He has designed 3 types of millet-processing machines, which are quite popular among growers. For those who wish to buy machines for commercial purposes, Manohar’s brother has set up a shop in Ganjam. “Farmers have found these machines useful. I sell around 350 farm equipment units and 120 processing units every year,” states Manohar.

In 1980, he started designing grain-processing machines and later realised that there is an acute shortage of millet-processing machines in the State and started working on it.

After putting in years of dedicated effort, he tasted success in 2011.   Since the shape and size of each millet variety is different, he had to design 3 types of machines to ensure proper processing of different types of millets. Every machine costs around Rs 90,000. About 150 kg of millet can be processed at a time in these machines. When 100 kg of millet is processed in this machine, a farmer incurs a cost of Rs 30-40. But when the same quantity of millet is processed and cleaned by hand, it takes a lot of time and effort, and costs way more.

“The government provides subsidy for big processing units and not the smaller ones. Providing subsidies for smaller machines will greatly help medium and small  farmers in the State,” explains Manohar.

“The government is encouraging cultivation of millets as alternative crops. But  processing continues to be a challenge. Hence, suitable machines will be of great help. The government should also provide subsidies to purchase these machines,” rues Nanjunda Gowda, a farmer.

“I have supplied my machines to agricultural universities of Salem and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. They have distributed the machines at a subsidised rate to the local farmers,” says a proud Manohar. Agricultural universities in the State have also placed in their orders. Infosys Foundation has decided to supply these machines to women’s self-help groups in Dharwad.

Siddaraju M
(Translated by AVR)