Paddy Straw Cutter for Mushroom Bed Preparation
Paddy Straw Cutter for Mushroom Bed Preparation
Ajay Kumar Prusty (54) is a progressive farmer with a keen interest in farming. He has an inclination towards the mechanisation of agriculture. Noticing the growing labour scarcity, he has always attempted to develop implements beneficial for the farmers.
Mushroom bed structure and shape have a vital impact on the output, as it can enhance the quality of mushrooms and quantity. Fresh, disease-free paddy straw is the ideal substrate. 10-15 kg paddy straw is required for preparing one bed. To prepare a bed, straw should be cut about 1m in length and 0.75 m in breadth, which is a challenging task and generally carried out with a manual straw cutter. This process of preparing a mushroom bed is quite a time taking and requires more than two workers for the same.
Ajay has designed and developed a straw cutter, which can be adjusted to cut paddy straw bundles as per the required size. The bed can easily be prepared using this machine, saving time and resources. Worker safety issues are carefully considered while designing the machine. The capacity of the machine is about 1000-1200 straw bundles per hour. The machine removes drudgery, reduces labour requirements and enhances productivity.He has sold about 1400 units of the machine in Odisha and Jharkhand. The technology is transferred to M/S Supreme Enterprises for manufacturing and supply in several parts of the country.
Ajay Kumar Prusty (54) is a progressive farmer with a keen interest in farming. He has an inclination towards the mechanisation of agriculture. Noticing the growing labour scarcity, he has always attempted to develop implements beneficial for the farmers.