How a curious inventor has employed his ingenuity to design low-cost agricultural equipment thus boosting food production and creating jobs and advancing agro businesses . DANIEL ESSIET reports.
Emmanuel Ntiti is a hero amongst farmers in Calabar, Cross River State with his low-cost machines. He works as a Senior Technical Instructor at Government Technical School, Calabar after his graduation.
Looking for an avenue to utilise his skills of sheet metal product development engineering, he considered working on agriculture equipment to create positive change. He then spent years visiting and interacting with farmers.
His agricultural background helped him to notice various problems which the farmers face at the grassroots, he then thought of ways of helping them through his innovations. Consequently, he developed a series of farm equipments targeted at small farm owner. These equipment were directly used on the farm.
The equipment can replace farm activities, which are heavily labour-dependent and contribute significantly to reduce total cost of crop production. He started with cassava and gari processing machines to help farmers reduce the burden of production, which is labour intensive.
He also progressed even further to develop little machines and equipment to assist farmers carry out successful post-harvest operations. Rather than worry about the cost of running the farm, which has gone up, his approach has helped to find low cost solutions that help farmers overcome the challenges.
Explaining why he developed gari processing machine, Ntiti said he felt sorry each time he sat near local women processing gari. The processing usually takes up to 11 hours, involves peeling, drying, washing, and grading and frying, and it is tedious and tiresome. This is because 70 per cent of the work requires human labour. The job involves a lot of hard work and injuries are common place. Health wise, it is also injurious to health as it causes allergy to many.
Ntiti was keen on finding an alternatives to this intensive process. Having understood the operational principle, he got to work to produce a gari processing machine that would help farmers undertake normal processing in few hours. He first developed a fully functional prototype, which was demonstrated to farmers. The design is simple to operate. He then invited fellow farmers to share his innovation. They all appreciated him and requested him to make the machine for them.
He is an award winning machines fabricator, whose efforts have been recognised nationally. His innovation featured during the science fair organised by the government.
The government officials appreciated his innovation, and took all steps to popularise his invention- machine. The news slowly spread among the farming community. He also received an award from Cross River State government. This has resulted in enhanced popularity for him. He is working on commercial production of his machines. The highlight of the machine is its versatile processing platform for seamless processing of cassava and gari. The government has taken Ntiti’s innovation to various fora, showcasing him and his work.
Since his innovation four years ago, he has not rested. While he waits for his prototype to turn into an entire line of machines for sale, he spends his time working on new ideas. The confidence he has gained has encouraged him to develop more machines to help people at grassroots. His workshop is now a centre for prototype development and it provides customisation for various clients, professionals and companies. He has increased small holder farmer’s access to technology, build the capacity of individual farmers, producers groups, and entrepreneurs in production.
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