Climbing coconut trees, no longer difficult
M.J. PRABU
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Even non-professional climbers can operate this device
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— Photo: TNAU
SAFETY BOON: The machine is a boon for large-scale coconut growers who employ manual labours for climbing the trees.
COCONUT PALM is an important cash crop of the four southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. More than 90 per cent of area under coconut cultivation and production in the country is in these states.
Coconut cultivation and allied activities provide livelihood security to more than nine million people.
Average production
While the average productivity of coconut in the country is about 6285 nuts per hectare, the productivity varies considerably from state to state.
In Tamil Nadu alone, coconut is cultivated in about three lakh hectares with an average production of about 32,000 lakh nuts every year. The average yield is 10,000 to 20,000 nuts per hectare.
Laborious job
For harvesting the nuts, removing the dried palms, and for spraying and applying insecticides on the crown, skilled labourers have to climb manually up the tree. Such a process looks easy, in reality it is a laborious and dangerous task.
It requires skill to climb a coconut tree. Skilled coconut tree climbers have become scarce and farmers are finding it difficult to harvest the nuts.
Though a trained tree climber can climb about 40 trees per day, untrained persons can climb only 5-10 trees in a day.
"To make it convenient for them, we have developed the coconut tree climber," said Dr. V.J.F. Kumar, Head of the Zonal Research Centre of Tamil Nadu Agriculture Univerity (TNAU), Coimbatore. This device ensures cent per cent safety to the tree climber.
Easy operation
"The best part of the `coconut-climber' is that even non-professional climbers can operate it, making it a boon for farmers," he said.
The tree climber is made of mild steel square pipes. It has two frames, the upper frame can be operated with both the hands and the lower frame can be operated by one foot. The two frames are connected to each other by adjustable belts.
The upper frame is also provided with a seating arrangement for the person to sit and the lower frame has a provision for holding the feet.
Sliding framework
The entire unit is fitted in the coconut tree with the upper frame above the lower frame. By standing on the lower frame, the upper frame can be slid up or down the tree.
Similarly, by sitting on the upper frame, the lower frame can be slid up or down.
The operator can ascend or descend the tree by operating the upper and the lower frames alternately.
No risk
Since the operator is safely held against the tree by the upper frame, there is practically no risk of falling down. An operator takes about 10 minutes to safely climb and harvest the nuts
Manual labourers
The device is a boon for large-scale coconut growers who employ manual labourers for climbing the trees. Usually these labourers are paid about Rs. 20-30 per tree.
The weight of the device is about 9 kg and it is priced at about Rs. 2,500.
For further details, readers may contact Dr. V.J.F. Kumar, Professor and Head, Agricultural Machinery Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 600003, Tamil Nadu, phone: 0422-6611204.
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