For any serious rice farmer, a rice thresher is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.
The machine simplifies the tedious post-harvest process by quickly and cleanly separating rice grains from the stems without breaking them. This not only saves time but also ensures better quality grain for the market.
Elemia Male, a professional welder and youth trainer, says the thresher is a game-changer in modern rice farming.
“It works efficiently. All the farmer needs to do is feed the dried rice stalks into the machine. The thresher separates the grain from the stem in seconds,” he explains.
“It can process several bags in just one hour, something that would take a full day or more with manual labour.”
Simon Wetaya, an agricultural leader in Kibuku district, strongly recommends the machine for all commercial rice growers.
“It increases productivity and reduces post-harvest losses,” he says.
“Threshers ensure clean, undamaged grains, which fetch higher prices in the market.”
However, not all farmers can afford one. Sam Mweleza, a smallholder farmer from Lyam village in Kibuku, says his harvest suffers because he lacks access to a thresher.
“We spend days threshing by hand. Sometimes we lose grains, and the quality is low because of breakage,” she laments.
“But these machines are too expensive for farmers like me.”
Despite the challenges, experts urge cooperatives and government programmes to support farmers by providing access to threshers through subsidies or shared ownership schemes.
“If farmers pool resources or get support, these machines will pay off in one or two seasons,” Wetaya suggests.
The rice thresher remains a crucial tool for transforming smallholder rice production into a profitable venture. For any farmer looking to scale up, reduce losses, and improve income, investing in a thresher might just be the smartest move.
