Thanks to engineer Florendo G. Calamaan of the Cotton Research Center, Cotton Development Administration (CRC-CDA), Batac, Ilocos Norte. He designed, fabricated, and tested the oscillating type cottonseed pelletizer – a small machine made from local materials.
Although other countries have efficient models of seed pelletizers, these machines have huge capacity. These are also unaffordable to our farmers and seed producers. In contrast, the locally made machine developed by Calamaan is simple, affordable, and suitable to the needs of small farmers and cooperatives. This machine helps avoid problems like poor germination, replanting and thinning which are often caused by using untreated seeds.
A report submitted to the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) indicates the features of the machine and test results.
The main parts of the pelletizer are the surge bin for the coating substance, the pelleting chamber and the oscillator. The machine is capable of pelleting cottonseeds (fuzzy or delinted) individually and layer by layer until standard size pellets are formed. It is powered by a 0.45-KW single phase AC motor. The unit can pelletize the requirement of 175 hectares of cotton farm per year or a maximum of 3,510 kg of seeds per year (assuming 78 days of pelletizing per year).
Based on last year’s prices, the machine including its motor costs P5,100. Total operating cost is computed at P11,768.41/yr. Cost of pelleting a kilogram of cottonseed is P22.62.
With the pelletized seed, labor and cost of seeding can now be reduced by 6.6 man-day/ha and P705/ha. Break-even-point analysis shows that the cottonseed pelletizer is profitable when used in more than 1.55 ha annually or when used with pelletizing more than 31 kg of seeds per year.
The machine can be used as well for other crops. Researchers can further experiment on adding micronutrients in the seed pellets. The capacity and pelleting process can still be improved. For more information, contact engineer Florendo G. Calamaan, CRC-CDA, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), Batac 2906, Ilocos Norte. – S&T Media Service