Faced with labor shortage in his village, P Kumar developed a weeder that works well between densely cropped plants. He is now on the lookout for marketing partners
It is said that necessity is the mother of all inventions. That certainly seems to be the motivation for P Kumar, who invented a mini weeder after he got fed up with the labor shortage in his village in Tamil Nadu. The 62-year-old farmer from the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu owns about 40 acres of land. “Agriculture is a labor-intensive activity and most of the land here is agricultural. Every farmer is in need of workers, so there is always labor shortage. Most of them ask for higher wages,” says Kumar’s son, Senthil.
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Kumar, who is educated up to the XII standard, has always been fascinated by mechanics, having designed some crude machines for his household use. This paved the way for his invention, the MiniWEEDER. “Weeds are a big problem for farmers,” says Kumar, adding that the timely removal of weeds is important to get higher yields. “Weeds can be removed manually or mechanically. However, as we face labor shortage and the existing machines are too heavy and consume more fuel, this innovation will help farmers in a big way,” he adds.
The project is currently being incubated by L-RAMP, a Chennai-based joint initiative of IIT Madras and Rural Innovations Network (RIN).
What is a mini weeder?
Kumar’s fuel-run mini weeder can work between narrow plantations of crops. Agricultural crops such as sugarcane and maize are placed too close for a weeder to work effectively. However, the mini weeder is 130 cm in length, 50 cm in width and 90 cm in height, and so can be used on crops that have a narrow row distance of 24 inches. “It can be used in gardens, vegetable farms, sugarcane, maize, tomatoes, etc,” says Kumar.
| DARE/fact sheet |
| Inventor: P Kumar |
| Invention: MiniWEEDER |
| Description: A small fuel-driven weeding machine for crops with a row distance of 24 inches; ideal for small land holdings of five to ten acres |
| Dimensions: Length: 130 cm, Width: 50 cm, Height: 90 cm, Weight: 120 kgs |
| Cutting Width: 45 cm |
| Price: Rs 35,000-40,000 |
| Operating Cost: Runs for 80 minutes on one liter of kerosene or petrol |
The machine, weighing 120 kgs, is powered by a 1.2 HP petrol and kerosene engine. For starting the machine, one needs petrol, but can switch over to either petrol or kerosene later. The weeder runs for approximately 80 minutes on one liter of kerosene or petrol, and takes about three-and-a-half to four hours to remove weeds on one acre of land. The machine is well suited for holdings of five to ten acres.
| DARE/technology |
| The machine has an engine at the rear with a turning control wheel at the front. The rotat-ing disc with cutting blades is placed at the front and is not fixed |
| This machine is powered by a 1.2 HP engine and uses an auto clutch system. The power is transmitted to the gear box by a belt and to the rotating disc from the gear box by a pair of chains |
| The cutting blades cut the weeds at appropriate depth on rotation of the disc. The machine has four forward and four reverse gears. It can be reversed by just pressing the lever |
| The machine runs on a dual fuel engine on either petrol, or petrol and kerosene |
How is it different from other weeders?
The mini weeder has a cutting width of about 45 cm, or less than two feet. However, unlike the other weeders commonly available in the market, its cutting blade is not fixed. Kumar says, “The blade of the mini weeder adjusts itself to the ridges and furrows and moves up and down accordingly. Many weeders in the market do not have this feature. Ridges and furrows or channels are made on the agricultural land to facilitate irrigation. Other weeders, which have fixed blades, tend to erase them thus hampering irrigation.”
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| P Kumar with former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam at the Ceremony of Award of Excellence 2007 by L-RAMP held at IIT Madras |
What is its cost?
Kumar is yet to decide on what figure would sport the final price tag of the weeder. But it could range between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 once mass production begins. Quizzed as to whether Indian farmers would be able to afford the weeder, he says, “The machine can be an additional source of income for poor farmers as they can rent it out to others. Or they can also pool and buy the product.”
What is its current status?
Most of the research and field trials of the product have been completed and Kumar has applied for a patent. He says, “We are using one machine continuously for trial purposes and its performance has been satisfactory. Another ten machines are getting ready. From them, another one or two will be tested and then we will commercialize it.” There is no succession plan for the mini weeder project.
Kumar talks of his plans for commercialization and says, “In this machine, production means that only an assembly line is required, which is not a problem for us. But we are definitely looking for marketing partners.” Asked as to when his product is expected to hit the market, he says, “Six months.”
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written by kumar vibhuti, December 15, 2010
written by ramachandran, July 15, 2010
* i need a machine that can also used for banana weeds removal.
* this machine help for that purpose.
* does this machine has subciding.
written by Biraj Kholkumbe, June 26, 2010
written by Dr. R.K. Jain, December 24, 2009
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