By Ibrahim Ruhweza
Imagine seeds decomposing in the store because of failure to know whether they were fully dry or not. This could be the worst incident to ever happen to any farmer.
But the good news is that farmers already have clinical solutions after the brilliant innovator developed a machine that will be used by farmers to know when to take seeds from under the sun to the store.
The machine is called a moisture analyzer.
Its innovator, Tilak Patel, is one of many exhibitors at this year’s Harvest Money Expo at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala. Themed ‘farming as business’, the three-day agriculture exhibition ends Sunday.
Patel says farmers have been making losses because of storing seeds that are yet dry.
This innovation is sold by Tomil Agricultural Limited under Sinar Technologies.
Patel explains that at times, farmers are cheated through reduction of crop weight while in the market for failing to know how much moisture is in the seeds before selling off.
“As time improves, we should also improve as well. Farmers should not be cheated or make losses,” he says.
The moisture analyzer has very options to help farmers keep in the know. For instance, it is Bluetooth-enabled to help farmers directly connect to any phone.
The moisture analyzer has an application that can be installed on computers and phones to measure the amount of moisture in seedlings.
The same app can store information for further usage.
According to Patel, many farmers take records of their harvests on paper, which are susceptible to disappearance because of unavoidable circumstances.
“A farmer might lose the book where he keeps records, but using the app, the recorded information will be kept for longer.”
Patel says improvement in agriculture should match new technologies, especially with commercial agriculture.
“There is a lot to learn from agriculture,” he says.
“It is employing many people across the world, but farmers are making losses because they do not know. That’s why we are rushing to provide solutions as quickly as possible.”
Patel says machines to detect moisture in crops have existed for a long time but that it is a matter of evolving depending on the prevailing factors.
