The Centre, in collaboration with the Karnataka government, has distributed newly developed pongamia (karanj) pod decorticators and oil extraction machines to farmers to improve biofuel production in the country, in order to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi's target of producing 175 GW of non-fossil fuel.
According to a Science and Technology ministry note, these machines were developed at the Bangalore-based University of Agricultural Sciences with grant-in-aid from the SYST programme, SEED Division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under a project titled "Development and evaluation of pongamia pod decorticator and mini vegetable seed oil extraction machine."
In Hassan district, Karnataka, ten micro vegetable oil extraction machines and eight pongamia pod decorticators were recently provided to farmers' self-help groups associated to farmers' producer organisations.
According to the ministry note, newly designed oil extraction machines and pongamia pod decorticators will assist enhance bio-fuel production and by-product use at the village level, boosting farmers' income in Hassan.
These small-scale oil extraction machines, according to experts working on bio-fuel production machines, would be excellent for oil extraction in communities in rural regions. The leftovers can be utilised to produce manure cake, biogas, and edible oil cake for animal feed.
"These devices were created and tested for both edible and non-edible oilseeds." The oil extractor is readily removed and cleanable before being used with other oil seeds. Edible and non-edible oils may require different types of extractors. The machine has been tested on edible oil seeds including sunflower, coconut, groundnut, mustered, sesame, and others, as well as non-edible oil seeds like pongamia, neem, and mahua, according to the scientists.
Pongamia (Karanj or Honge), a promising biofuel crop, is difficult to de-husk manually. Farmers aren't really enthusiastic about collecting it. According to a government official, the motorised de-husking machine is anticipated to rekindle their interest in collecting and processing oil producing seeds, notably pongamia, in order to improve bio-fuel output and double farmers' income.
