Original article : http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/a-machine-for-dehulling-millets/article5265329.ece
Owing to the absence of suitable primary processing, semi processed raw
materials and appropriate value addition technologies, the production
and processing of small millets remains constrained.
Difficult work
Dehulling (removal of husk) millets is a difficult task owing to its
small size and husk. Without husk removal, it is impossible to explore
the full potential of the grains.
Traditionally, women do this unpleasant, laborious and inefficient hard
work. Manually a woman with a pestle and mortar can dehull about 1.5 kg
per hour providing a non-uniform poor keeping quality kernel.
The dry, moistened or wet millet grain is normally pounded with a wooden
pestle in a wooden or stone mortar for making flour which is slightly
wet due to moisture.
Aiming to eliminate this drudgery the Central Institute of Agricultural
Engineering (CIAE, ICAR), Bhopal has developed a machine for millet
processing. The machine has a capacity of grinding 100 kg in an hour at
10-12 per cent moisture content. It operates with one horse power single
phase electric motor and can process even one kg of grains. The
separation of the husk is simultaneous with a suction arrangement and
cyclone separator attached to the machine.
It is suitable for dehulling foxtail, little, kodo, proso and barnyard
millets and is provided with provisions to adjust between the dehulling
surfaces to suit the different sizes of minor grains.
Efficiency
The dehulling efficiency of the machine is about 95 per cent and is
priced at Rs. 50,000. It is eco-friendly, because it does not allow the
dehulling husk mass to escape into the air directly and is gently
trapped and collected. While being operated the noise pollution is kept
under control unlike other hulling machines that produce a lot of sound.
It does not require any hard labour and is worker-friendly.
(Dr. S. Balasubramanian, Principal Scientist, CIAE-Regional Centre-IEP,
Coimbatore-3, Tamil Nadu, E-mail: balaciphet@gmail.com, Mobile:
8681017811.)
Keywords: Millet cultivation, Millets dehulling, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Millet processing
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