Turning Household Appliances into a Tea-Processing Machine: A Farmer’s Innovation from Assam

Mr. Ratan Ray, a 51-year-old farmer from Choibari, Hindupara, in Dhubri district of Assam, has demonstrated how practical knowledge and resourcefulness can lead to affordable solutions for agricultural processing.

With 25 years of experience in tea cultivation, he recognised the challenges small tea growers face in accessing expensive tea-processing machinery and developed an innovative, low-cost alternative using commonly available household appliances.

Instead of investing in costly industrial equipment, Mr. Ray repurposed an old pressure cooker and a mixer-grinder to develop an improvised tea-processing machine. He fitted specially designed metal blades, similar to those used in conventional tea-processing equipment, inside the pressure cooker and connected it to the motor of a regular mixer-grinder. This simple modification enabled him to crush, tear and curl tea leaves into small pellets, replicating key stages of the Crush, Tear and Curl (CTC) tea-processing method.

The innovation offers a potential cost-effective alternative for small tea growers who have limited resources to invest in specialised machinery. By mechanising the crushing and curling process, the improvised machine reduces dependence on traditional manual rolling methods and speeds up processing, helping improve overall efficiency. The uniform grinding action also supports consistency in the finished product. According to Mr. Ray, the processed tea has a stronger flavour and brews more quickly, characteristics preferred by local consumers who favour CTC tea.

The innovation highlights the potential of adapting readily available household appliances to address practical challenges in small-scale agricultural processing. The underlying concept could also inspire similar low-cost solutions for processing spices, herbs and other agricultural products, creating opportunities for value addition at the farm level.

Supported by the documentation and extension efforts of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Dhubri, Mr. Ray’s grassroots innovation exemplifies how farmers’ ingenuity can contribute to affordable, resource-efficient technologies and encourage entrepreneurship among small tea growers in Assam.

(Source: Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dhubri)