Researchers invent fuel modern cotton planter

The high tech planting facility innovated by the agro pundits at institute, will help the cotton farmers to improve productivity.

Speaking with The Guardian on the sideline of the exhibition of this year's innovation week here, Dauson Malela , TARI Ukiriguru agriculture officer said that the inverted technology would enable the cotton farmers to deter from the use of hand hoes planting method, which costs time and reliability.

"For years, cotton farmers were facing major challenges when it came to adherence to recommended agronomic practices in planting cotton, as they were also spending a lot of money, and low yields," he observed.

With the newly- invented planter,  he noted, farmers will stand a chance to minimise planting expenses as it will also make it easy to observe required cotton planting spaces.

"Technically, cotton need to be planted in a space gape of at least 60 centimeters from one line to the other and at 30 centimeters variation from one plant to the other," he expressed.

 “Most of the farmers were finding it difficult to abide to the formula due to myriad complications in using hand hoes.”

For instance, he noted, with hand hoe, a total of nine farmers spend between eight to ten hours to plant an acre of cotton.

"To help address the challenges, we at TARI Ukiriguru innovated the said machine with an eye to enable the farmers and the general performance of the key sector to thrive at its deserved extent," he insisted.

Detailing over the stages in the successive innovation journey of the technology, he said that the planter was formerly designed in the manner that it was only operated by cows, but later on they transformed it to be operated through diesel- driven engine.

“We’re grateful for the way the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) has boosted us to help advance the technology of the planter, making it operate through diesel engines,” he expressed.

He stated that the planter was currently using two liters of diesel, costing between 2,500/- and 3,000/ and with the capacity to plant one acre of cotton and recommended space standards within 30 minutes to one hour.

Malila added that the centre was currently working to acquire 'Intellectual Property’ over their innovation from the country’s Business Registrations and Licensing Agency (BRELA).

TARI will also enter into contract with the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) for the Centre of Agricultural Mechanization and Rural Technologies (CAMATECH) for the multiplication of the machines.

For his part, Robert Cheleo, the assistant researcher at TARI Ukiriguru centre challenged the farmers to turn out in multitude to adopt the useful machine.

“We have all reasons to thank the minister of agriculture, Hussein Bashe for always being on our side to the tune we managed to innovate the machine,” he appreciated.

He further detailed that apart from cotton, the tailor-made planter machine can be used to help planting other crops, including beans, maize and sunflower, among others.