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Fully automatic three-in-one cashew nut separator
The method of separating cashew nut from cashew apple has remained a labour-intensive process. But not any more. A team of scientists from ICAR – Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR), Puttur, and ICAR – Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE), Research Station, Coimbatore, has come out with solutions for cashew nut separation from cashew apple.
Based on the requirements of different segments of the farming community — ranging from a farmer with small holdings to FPOs (farmer producer organisations) —the team has developed three machines to carry out this process.
For a farmer with a small holding in a remote location with no power facility, the team has developed a pedal-operated cashew nut separator. For an FPO, there is a fully automatic three-in-one cashew nut separator. Farmers in between these two segments can opt for a semi-automatic cashew nut separator.
Use in remote areas
The research team included Manjunatha K (ICAR-DCR, Puttur), Ravindra Naik (ICAR-CIAE, RS, Coimbatore), D Balasubramanian (ICAR-DCR, Puttur), and J Dinakara Adiga (Director, ICAR-DCR, Puttur).
Manjunatha told businessline that there was no machine till now to separate cashew nut from cashew apple. In the manual process, a skilled labourer separates cashew nut from cashew apple by hand.
Pedal-operated cashew nut separator
The pedal-operated cashew nut separator has shear-cutting blades, achieving a separation capacity of 15 kg per hour with 83 per cent efficiency and nut damage below 5 per cent.
On the working of this model, Manjunatha said this machine can be used in remote location where there is no electricity. Even a farmer with half or one acre cashew plantation can use this.
Stating that usually farmers pick cashew in the plantations once or twice in a week, he said cashew apple oozes out in such cases making it difficult for a person to hold the fibrous content in the hand. It is difficult to separate cashew nut from apple in such cases when compared to the fresh cashew apples. Shearing action in the pedal-operated machine helps separate the fibrous content from cashew nut.
Semi-automatic cashew nut separator
High capacity machine
The portable semi-automatic cashew nut separator is a mechanised system, offering a separation capacity of 35 kg per hour and with a 92 per cent efficiency rate. It does the function of cashew nut separation only, he said.
The fully automatic three-in-one cashew nut separator is a high-capacity machine capable of nut separation, pulp extraction, and fibrous material removal, achieving 300 kg per hour capacity with more than 99 per cent efficiency and less than 1 per cent nut damage.
The three-in-one machine is made of food grade steel, and all the outputs from the machine can be used. In addition to the raw cashew nut, pomace coming out from this machine can be used as poultry and animal feed, and pulp and juice can be used for the preparation value-added cashew products, he said, adding, FPOs, custom hiring centres, self-help groups can make use of this machine.
These advancements significantly reduce labour dependency, improve efficiency, and enhance productivity for cashew farmers, especially small and marginal ones.
The pedal-operated cashew nut separator costs around ₹15,000, and semi-automatic separator around ₹35,000. The fully automatic three-in-one cashew nut separator costs around ₹1.95 lakh.
CIAE and DCR have signed an umbrella memorandum of agreement with Phison Agritech Pvt Ltd in Ramanagara of Karnataka for technology licensing.
The team has already applied for patents for these machines, Manjunatha added.
Published on April 4, 2025
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