The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) will install 10 seed vending machines in various parts of the State. The moves comes following the success it had seen with the machine installed near its campus on Marudamalai Road in January last year, says K. Ramasamy, Vice Chancellor.
As part of the farmers' day celebration in 2014, the University had installed the machine at a cost of Rs. 2.30 lakh to dispense lady’s finger, chilli, greens, cluster beans, brinjal and a few other vegetable and fruit seeds to encourage people take go in for kitchen garden and terrace garden.
The machine vends the seeds in small packets, each priced at Rs. 10. The objective was to help residents, who otherwise have to purchase seeds in packets that are meant for farmers, points out M. Bhaskaran, Special Officer, Seeds, TNAU.
The University will install the vending machines in the Secretariat and Anna Nagar in Chennai, at a farmers' market (Uzhavar Sandhai) in Coimbatore, Theni, Madurai, Salem, Kiillikulam, Tiruchi, Tiruvannamalai and Pudukkottai.
People may walk into the vending centres, insert a Rs. 10 note, chose the seed they want from the menu displayed on the screen and then collect the packet. At any point in time, the vending machines can hold 1,000 packets of 32 varieties of seeds. In the past, the University has sold 20,000 packets for Rs. 2 lakh.
Mr. Bhaskaran says that the seeds come with the TNAU certification and that ensures quality. And the University does so to comply with the provisions of the Seeds Act.
Towards this end, the University has taken steps to store the seeds in the right temperature and humidity. This happens 24X7. Whenever the machine dispenses packets, it has been programmed to send messages and alerts to a registered number so that the stock position is maintained.
