The Hindu : Kerala News : Coconut tree climbing made easier

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Saturday, Jul 12, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala

Coconut tree climbing made easier

It may look familiar. Unlike the device used in north Kerala, this patented “seat type” coconut-tree climbing device introduced by the Kudappanakkunnu grama panchayat promises to be a more “secure” and “safe” bet.

A concern that was uppermost in the minds of the panchayat and agricultural authorities here while procuring mechanised farm tools as a part of its recently inaugurated Karshika Karma Sena, a team of agricultural technicians aimed at addressing the acute shortage of labour in the region.

“We did not want to take any chances with the standing device,” said Mini C.L., agricultural officer, Krishi Bhavan, Kudappanakkunnu, referring to the “less sophisticated” device in use in north Kerala.

In fact, her scepticism for the device stems from an embarrassing mid-air drama involving a panchayat president who was forced to spend several anxious moments on a coconut tree during an inaugural ceremony after the device got stuck midway through his ascend.

“The incident was quite vivid in our minds when suggestion came for buying a coconut-tree climber,” said Ms. Mini.

Then, information was received about a more “foolproof” and “convenient” device developed by the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore.

The “seat type” climber complete with a rexene sheet that acts as a perch for the user consists of two parallel rectangular iron frames separated by an adjustable belt that assists in manoeuvring the frames while ascending or descending a tree.

The climber is manoeuvred up and down using feet locked into the lower frame. The frames too can be adjusted depending on the girth of the coconut palm and are fastened to the tree using rubber bushes.

Though it weighs over 13 kg, its weight hardly impedes mobility as the upper and lower frames are moved independently. “It is quite convenient and with practice you can climb a medium size tree in less than three minutes,” said Rajeev S.V., a member of the ‘karma sena’.

Efforts are currently on to rope in women to train them to use the machine.

In order to make the device more women-friendly, the panchayat has now decided to go in for its alloy variant which is nearing completion at the Tamil Nadu university.

Said Sudhakaran Nair, president of the panchayat: “Our aim is to provide one climber each to every household,” he said, a goal if realised can effectively address the labour shortage facing nearly 50,000 coconut palms in the region.

Sangeeth Kurian

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