POST HARVEST IMPROVEMENT OF SPICES
 

Board operates four programmes to promote post harvest improvement in spices viz. Assisting in construction of concrete drying yards, supply of polythene sheets, bamboo mats and pepper threshers and setting up solar driers.

Scheme for Improved Cardamom Curing Devices for Small Cardamom (Description/ Working Procedure)
Cardamom is dried in traditional curing houses using firewood as fuel. Sun drying is not popular due to the loss of green colour during the process.

As the productivity / production is registering an upward trend year after year, the firewood requirement is also increasing. As the wind fallen trees are not enough to meet the growing demand of firewood, the growers are forced to meet their requirement of firewood, either from the market or from resorting to cutting trees leading to degradation of forest cover. Moreover, wood is required for the construction of new curing houses especially for racks to spread cardamom and to provide false ceiling in the .curing houses to preserve the heat.

Few innovative growers have installed cardamom curing systems using alternate fuels, viz. Diesel, LP Gas which gives their produce better colour and cost effective drying. These driers are eco-friendly, labour saving and easy to operate. The harvested green cardamom can be put in to the drying chamber of these new curing systems after washing, instead of spreading it on the trays as is practiced in the conventional drying. The drying time is reduced from 28 – 36 hrs. to about 20 hours in these driers. It is therefore imperative to popularise the eco-friendly drying of cardamom using alternate fuels among the growers by providing suitable incentives.

At present, two new systems are available for drying cardamom using alternate fuels. In one system although diesel is used as fuel, single phase electricity supply is required to run the blower / fan. Therefore a standby generator is required to overcome power failures, which is very common in cardamom growing areas. The system consists of a burner, blower, heat exchanger, drying chamber and a control panel. In case of electricity failure, the system has warning alarms. A room of a of 10' x 10' is sufficient to house the drier.


In the second system, LP gas is used as fuel. Single phase electricity supply is required to run a blower / fan. A standby generator is required to support the system in the event of a power failure. The system consists of a burner, blower, heat exchanger, drying chamber and a control panel. In case of electricity failure, the system has warning alarms. A room of 22' x 11' is sufficient to install this drier.

The objective of the scheme is to popularise the above cardamom drying systems using LPG/ Diesel as fuel among the small growers by providing 33.3 % of the actual cost of drier as subsidy subject to a maximum of Rs. 1.00 lakh. Non-subsidy portion will be met by the growers from their own funds or through institutional finance.

Spices Board may prepare a list of approved suppliers and upper ceiling cost for driers of various capacities. In such case, the driers have to be obtained from approved suppliers and expenditure in excess of approved rates shall not be entertained.

Area of implementation
Kerala Tamilnadu & Karnataka

Eligibility

Registered small cardamom growers owning a minimum of area of 0.40 ha. and maximum area of 4 ha. are eligible for assistance to install one drier under the scheme. The capacity of the drier should be proportionate to the expected production and shall be verified by the officers concerned of the Board before giving approval for availing the benefit. Subsidy will be released after satisfactory installation and physical verification by Officers of the Board.

Procedure for implementation of the scheme will be as follows:

1. Interested growers will submit the application in the prescribed format with quotations obtained from approved agencies supplying the drier and accessories.
2. Field Officer of the Board will assess the technical/ economical feasibility and recommend the eligible applications to the Asst. Director concerned for conveying approval for fabrication and installation of the drier.
3. The Asst. Director will issue permit order to the eligible cases under intimation to Regional J.D/D.D and H.O.
4. On completion of installation the matter is to be informed to the Field Office of the Board by the beneficiary submitting bills/ invoice and Field Officer will physically verify the installation and recommend the case to the Asst. Director.
5. Asst. Director will inspect the case recommended by the Field Officer for effecting payment of eligible subsidy to the beneficiary.
6. Subsidy claims above Rs. 50,000/- and 25% of the driers installed in the region has to be physically verified invariably by the Regional J.D/D.D before recommending/ effecting payment.
7. Subsidy claims above Rs. 75,000/- and 10% of the installations are to be test checked by an Officer from H.O. authorized by Director (Dev).
Application will be available at Download forms -Developmental Schemes


Drying Yards
 

Board offers 25% of the cost of construction of drying yards subject to a maximum of Rs.125/- per sq.m for general category of growers and 50% subject to a maximum of Rs.250/- per sq.m for growers belongs to Scheduled Caste and 90% of the cost subject to a maximum of Rs.450/- per sq.m for Scheduled Tribe growers.

For community drying yards owned and operated by NGOs/Self Help Groups/Agricultural Market Committees/Farmers’ Groups & Associations, the assistance will be to the tune 50% of the cost of construction.

Assistance will be offered for the construction up to 150 sq.m of concrete/cemented drying yards to individual growers whereas for community drying yards the limit will be proportionate to members of the association.

Polythene Sheets
 

In order to enable small and marginal farmers to dry spices under hygienic conditions, Spices Board supplies polythene sheets (of size 8 x 6 mtrs. 250 gsm. 5 layered) at 50% subsidy to tribal growers and 33% to other growers.

Bamboo Mats
 

To assist pepper growers in drying their pepper under hygienic conditions, Spices Board supplies bamboo mats of size 12’ x 6’ at 90% subsidy to tribal growers and 50% to others.

Pepper Threshers
 

Traditional deberrying of pepper by trampling under the feet is unhygienic and labour intensive. To encourage hygienic practices Spices Board proposes to subsidise the procurement of pepper threshers to the tune of Rs.5000/- per threshers. 100 such units will be supplied during the plan period.

Solar Driers for chillies
 

A pilot solar air heating system was installed at Guntur, with promising results with respect to reduction in drying time, hygienic drying and colour retention. Spices Board proposes to replicate this in other locations provided the farmers are prepared to share 50% of the capital cost, apart from operating and maintaining the system by collecting user fees.