Impact Made So Far
- Till date, 149 number of B.Tech. and M.Tech. students have passed out from the college out of which 90 opted higher studies, 05 joined ICAR as Agricultural Scientists, 05 joined government departments, 03 joined industry.
- 700 number of farmers including 500 farm women have been trained in use of modern farm machineries through frontline demonstrations
- 500 number of farmers including 270 farm women, have received short term trainings on their demanded topics.
- 70 extension education functionaries from various states viz. Manipur, Sikkim and Orissa have received capacity building trainings
- 05 Entrepreneurs have received trainings and-started their own small ventures.
- The improved large cardamom harvesting knife developed at CAEPHT has reduced the drudgery and enhanced the wok rate by 45% more than 300 units have been supplied to farmers during 2012 to 2015(Dec.)
- Improved package of animal drawn equipment namely ridger plough, wing plough, improved peg type puddler, multi-purpose tool frame with attachment, clod-crusher-leveler-planker-puddler, single row and two row multi crop seed drills, zero till seed drill suitable for buck wheat, improved maize planter with yoke/harness, improved potato digger etc. suitable for farming in valley, terraces and hill slopes, all of which are design refined/developed by CAEPHT have been introduced to the farmers of Sikkim. There is a regular demand of FLDs on these equipment. A pair of bullocks of college along with these equipment are used for custom-hiring also to fulfill the demand of farmers.
- Farmers have shown their interest in training and use of light weight powertiller for which selected matching equipment have been developed by CAEPHT. These attachments, especially rotary attachment were found suitable for primary/secondary tillage prior to seedling and planting on small and sloppy terraces.
- Farmers are willing to adopt light weight power tiller operated potato and ginger diggers.
- Manually operated four row sprouted rice seeder, finger type weeder and improved tubular maize sheller have been introduced for rice and buck wheat on terraces of Sikkim on farmers demand.
- Knapsack type powered paddy harvester, Knapsack type powered bush cutter, powered portable pit digger, manually operated (pedal operated) paddy thresher, manual winnower, fruit harvester, powered tree pruner etc. have been ergonomically evaluated and introduced as package of equipment for cultivation of agricultural/horticultural crops in the hilly terrains of Sikkim
- Animal drawn rotary transmission system, design refined for use by ponney by CAEPHT, and installed at Andro Research Farm of CAU at Imphal is found suitable for electricity generation suitable for battery charging this unit is recommended for those hilly rural areas where grid electricity is not available.
- Gear operated manually controlled (without use of electricity) rope way, developed by CAEPHT after design refinement of unit available in other parts of country has been found suitable for material handling in hilly areas where slope of ……is usually available. The Hon’ble M.P. of Sikkim, Shri P.D. Rai has shown interest in installation of one unit in a model tourist place while one such unit is also in process of being established in Andro Research Farm of CAU, Imphal.
- CAEPHT designed walk-in-type double absorber solar dryer for 80-100 kg product drying and mixed mode photo voltaic powered force convection type solar dryer of 10 kg capacity have been introduced in Sikkim and found suitable for drying of ginger, chilli, cherry paper large cardamom and leafy vegetables. Few SHGs have requested for their installation in their villages. This activity is proposed to be undertaken.In village adoption programme of college.
- Small capacity biomass gasifier based multi crop dryer, developed by CAEPHT, suitable for large cardamom, ginger, chilli, leafy vegetables etc. has been introduced in Sikkim. One such unit has also been provided to COHF, Pasighat. The Spice Board of India, Govt. officials of Sikkim and Farmers SHGs/FPOs have requested the college to upscale the unit from 10-15 kg/batch to 200-500 kg/batch which is under design/development process. The dryer saves time and biomass consumption significantly as compared to traditional ‘Bhatti’ used for drying/curing of large cardamom.
- The pineapple powder technology developed by CAEPHT has drawn the interest of 6 industrial organizations engaged in processing of pine apples. One additional plant (other than at CAEPHT, Gangtok with mobile primary processing unit is under process of establishment at COA, Imphal. At least two more units (one each at CFS, Agartala and CPGS, Barapani) are proposed in future for which financial support of MOFPI will be requested in due course of time.
- Process technology for ‘Mesu’ a fermented bamboo shoot product consumed in Sikkim has been standardized with cyanogenic glycoside content.
- Composite flour noodles and pasta using under utilized cereals of NEH region viz buck wheat have been developed. Further studies on standardization of such products are in process.
- Combination of gravity fed drippers with different discharge were evaluated and recommended for adoption by the farmers with a view to achieve better and uniform application of water on sloppy terraces. A research project has been planned with NRC for Orchids on this aspects.
- Water use efficiency of tomato under gravity fed drip irrigation and mulching in low cost bamboo structured naturally ventilated poly house was worked out to find the effectiveness of drip and mulch on yield/yield attributes Irrigation requirement of 128.97 mm (43.27 l)/plant was found out to be adequate during the cropping season (Feb.-June)
- Micro-climatic parameters inside polyhouses of different shapes and sizes used in east Sikkim (including NRC for Pakyong) were evaluated and compared to the ambient conditions. There micro-climatic parameters are to be used for standardization of the design parameters of poly houses suitable for cultivation of orchids in Sikkim/NEH region.
- NABARD, Sikkim sponsored a training programme for Master Trainers which was organized by CAEPHT successfully.
- The Govt. of Sikkim and Govt. of Orissa have been sending their extension officials to CAEPHT regularly for capacity building programme organized by college.
- The college has also been regularly organizing Model Training Courses almost every alternate year.
- The Agriculture Department of Govt. of Sikkim sponsored training programmes conducted by CAEPHT for the benefit of farmers/entrepreneurs under central Govt. Scheme on “Sub Mechanization”
- On the request from many equipment manufacturers including M/s Indosaw, Ambala, the college with the financial support of DoAC, Govt. of India, has established a farm equipment testing centre in college campus.
- Many FPOs and SHGs and the Rural Management Department of Govt. of Sikkim have requested CAEPHT to facilitate capacity building of farmers/producers so that business hubs may be developed. In this reference with the equipment support of Department of Agriculture & Horticulture, Govt. of Sikkim, a Farmers Produce Processing-cum-Skill Development Centre has been established in the College.
- On request from KVKs, the CAEPHT organizes Farm Equipment Display/Demonstrations in their campuses or their adopted villages. One such programme was organized in March 2015 which was inaugurated by Shri Somnath Poudyal, the Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of Sikkim while one another demonstration has been organized in Yengyang, South Sikkim during Jan. 21st & 22nd , 2016.
- Soil Health Cards are being prepared to facilitate farmers. In 2015, 30 soil health cards were issued to farmers of East Sikkim while in 2016, atleas 300 more Soil health cards are proposed to be distributed covering farmers from all four districts of Sikkim. Farmers have shown their confidence on soil health data provided by the college.
- On demand from farmers of Sikkim, regular farmers-scientists inter actions are organized. In 2015 Padma Bhushan Dr. R.S. Paroda, the Former Director General, ICAR inaugurated one such programme (Sept. 15, 2015) while another programme was organized on Dec. 29, 2015 which was also attended by Dr. R.K. Gupta, Director, CIPHET, Ludhiana, Dr. D.R. Singh, Director, NRC for orchids, Pakyong, Sikkim and Mrs Mrilani Srivastava, Additional Secretary, Skill Development Department, Govt. of Sikkim.
- The college organizes Brain Storming Session every alternate year in which senior Agricultural Engineering Professionals are invited to share their experiences and views. One such programme was organized in …….. while other was held on May 30, 2014. Padma Bhushan Dr. R.B. Singh inaugurated the Programme on May 30, 2014.
- The Spice Board of India through its Gangtok unit has requested CAEPHT to provide technological support in processing of large cardamom, ginger, turmeric and pepper (Dalle Chilli).
- On request from SIMFED, and Govt. of Sikkim, CAEPHT has facilitated its modern rice milling plant for processing of scented varieties of paddy (KRH-2 and Sugandha).
- On the demands from rural communities 400 numbers of improved designed double pot energy efficient biomass cook stoves have been installed in many village clusters in Sikkim with the financial support of Petroleum Conservation Research Association, Govt. of India. The average thermal efficiency of improved cook stoves was measured to be 29.90% as compared to 10.13% in case of traditional cook stoves.
- On demand from College of Home Science, Tura, Meghalaya the college has supplied 50 improved gasifier type cook stoves to farmers communities of Meghalaya.