India is a major producer of fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, millets and other agricultural commodities; however, inadequate post-harvest handling, processing, storage and value addition can result in substantial losses and reduce farmers’ returns. Development of affordable, energy-efficient, scalable and farmer-centric post-harvest processing technologies can help to reduce post-harvest losses, and extend shelf life which leads to improving the profitability, sustainability and resilience of Indian agriculture. The mandate of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) encompasses the development, assessment, refinement, demonstration and transfer of need-based agricultural technologies for their effective utilization by farmers and other stakeholders. In this context, field-level display, demonstration and popularization of the developed technologies facilitate its transfer and adoption at the level of stakeholders. Such display cum demonstrations enable farmers and other end users to directly observe the technologies under practical conditions. On-farm demonstrations also provide an opportunity to compare improved technologies with existing farmer practices.
The Agro Produce Processing Division of the ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, has established an “On-Farm Technology Park” for the display and demonstration of selected agro processing technologies. The facility provides live demonstrations and hands-on experience to farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to understand the operation, performance and practical benefits of the technologies. The Technology Park showcases several important technologies developed by ICAR-CIAE including On-farm storage structure for horticultural commodities, smart silo storage system for food grains, Multi-module onion storage system, naturally ventilated onion storage structure, IoT-based smart solar dryer for agro-produce, solar dryer with auxiliary heating system, grape drying structure with aeration system, solar water pumping system, grain storage bins besides the farm structure. These technologies have been designed to address key challenges related to post-harvest losses, storage, drying, processing, energy efficiency and value addition at the farm and rural level.
A low-cost, low-energy hybrid evaporative cooling-based storage system has been established for the on-farm storage of fresh horticultural commodities. The storage unit has 1 tonne storage capacity. The storage system equipped with Earth Air Heat Exchanger (EAHE), direct and indirect evaporative cooling units for cooling the air entering in to storage structure. At the optimized operating conditions, the hybrid system decreases the air temperature in the tune of 18.3°C with 85.7% of RH from the peak summer ambient temperature of 40-45°C. The storage system was evaluated for various commodities includes cucumber, mango tomato etc. The storage system enhances the shelf life of these commodities in the tune of 4-5 times over ambient storage conditions.
An automated aeration based mini silo system established for storage of chick pea. The 3 tonne storage capacity silo fabricated in SS material consists of various axillary systems components like aeration system, feeding and discharge hopper and sensor placement cage. The aeration system operated automatic manner as per the temperature and RH inside and outside the silo. This silo is suitable for on-farm application which enhances the storage life of grains up to 6-7 months.
The grain storage bins of varying storage capacity in the rage of 250-1000 kg was installed for safe storage of different food grains, pulses and oilseeds at farm levels. They protect grains from moisture, insects, rodents, and other pests. In a properly clean, dry metal bins dried grains can be stored up to 1 year without significant storage loss and maintaining quality attributes.
A multi-module onion storage system with 5 tonne storage capacity has been established for bulk storage of onion. The system consists of 5 modules each having 1 tonne storage capacity connected through the aeration piping network. The overall storage losses expected to reduce up to less than 15% for 6 months of storage period.
The all side ventilated onion storage system has been developed using wooden strips and established in the technology park. A polycarbonate/asbestos sheet was used as roof top to protect the onion from sunshine and rain. The overall storage losses in this system is less than 30% for the period of 3 months.
An IoT based smart solar drying system has been established for effective drying of agro-produce in high capacity (1 tonne). The dryer is equipped with an aeration system to accelerate the drying rate and also for the uniform drying. The temperature and humidity of the dryer was monitored through sensors and the aeration system activates automatically. The drying of green chilli and maize took only 3-4 days whereas the open sun drying took about 6-7 days. There is substantial saving in time, energy and cost with better quality of dried produce using this high capacity dryer.
A Solar Dryer with Auxiliary Heating System of 200 kg capacity consists of a biomass/electric energy based auxiliary heating system, racks, trays covered with polythene sheet at top. A biomass or electric energy based heated air is also circulated through the pipes inside the dryer. Thus drying of produce is ensured during the time when solar radiations are not available. This dryer takes about 4-5 days for drying of agro-commodities like pigeon pea dal, wheat etc. in comparison to 7-8 days under open sun drying conditions.
The grape drying with aeration system helps to overcome the limitations of conventional rack-type shade drying, which requires 13–20 days for raisin production. The dryer consists of a mild steel structure with 10 layers spaced 300 mm apart. The grape bunches are kept on the wire mesh trays for drying. Using this dryer, the abrasive-treated grapes dried faster, producing raisins within 7 days, while chemically treated grapes required 10 days compared to 15-20 days in conventional non-aerated drying. There is more than 50% saving in drying time.
A solar powered water pumping system was installed to provide a reliable and energy-efficient solution for agricultural operations. The developed system utilizes solar energy for pumping and other operations, thereby reducing dependence on conventional electricity and diesel fuel.
A modular backyard poultry cage with a capacity of 20–25 birds specially made up of using rust-free FRP and aluminium materials. The cage is designed considering recommended poultry housing standards and can be easily assembled and dismantled. It is particularly useful for rural families for rearing poultry birds in the backyard of houses or farms.
This Technology Park is a facility established at the institute for the training, demonstration, and display of on-farm agro-processing technologies. It serves as a platform for providing practical exposure and hands-on training to farmers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders, thereby facilitating the effective dissemination and adoption of appropriate technologies. The establishment and operation of such facilities are also aligned with the mandates of ICAR institutions and the policies and initiatives of the Government of India aimed to showcase the scientific and technological advancements for the benefit and socio-economic empowerment of the farming community.
(Source: ICAR - Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal)
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