Agriculture Dept makes new machine with local mechanic

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 22

The District Agriculture Department has claimed to have developed a new machine for the paddy straw management in association with a mechanic of Ramdas village near here. Officials of the department, who exhibited the machine, said mechanic Ranjit Singh had been working on the new machine for the past four years.

Chief Agricultural Officer Dr Dalbir Singh Chinna said, “Ranjit Singh and experts from the agricultural engineering wing in the district have developed various models in the past few years. The latest machine is a combination of chopper and grinder machines which are presently being used.” 

He said the biggest advantage of the new machine — Super Chopper-cum-Shredder — was that it could be used even with a 35 Horse Power (HP) tractor and other machines required a 65 HP tractor. 

“Farmers were reluctant to buy prevalent machines as they needed a big tractor. The new machine can be used with small tractors, which most of the marginal farmers own,” said Agricultural Engineer Ranbir Singh Randhawa. 

He said mechanic Ranjit had started developing the machine and after they came to know about it, they associated him in technical matters.

Ranjit Singh said, “The new machine uses fewer blades. Other machines have thousand blades and require a more powerful system to run them. My model has just four blades which need to be sharpened every day. The equipment for sharpening blades also has been developed.”

The officials working of the machine had shown the machine to MLA Harpartap Singh a few days ago. 

“Now, we plan to show its working to the Deputy Commissioner. The ground results of the new machine have proved to be far better than the earlier machines,” added Dr Chinna.