A seed vending machine installed at the Tiruvannamalai District Collectorate to sell seeds of varieties of vegetables and flowers is well received by the people.
The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has installed the machine in the Collectorate here a few months ago, with an aim of promoting urban gardening.
All that one needs to do is to insert Rs. 10 note in the machine and select the seed. Soon the machine will emit a pouch of desired seed.
TNAU’s The Centre of Excellence in Millets situated in Athiyanthal village near here refills and maintains the machine on behalf of the university.
M. Jayachandran, professor and head of the centre told The Hindu that though similar machines have been placed in several places of the State, Tiruvannamalai is the only place where it is located in the Collectorate, a place where people of different walks visit.
“Rs.10 is a fixed denomination to buy seeds from the machine. Since costs of the different seeds vary, varying quantities of the seeds according to their price are filled in the sachets. The university sends us ready to load sachets and we fill them as and when the variety empties in the machine,” he said.
“Nearly 40 varieties of the seeds could be loaded in the machine. We used to change the varieties according to the suitability of any given season. Most varieties of vegetables normally sowed in a season would be made available in the machine. The size of the seed sachet is suitable for kitchen gardens. As we got the cooperation from Collector A. Gnanasekaran, the idea has gone down well with the people. The machine placed in the Collectorate turned out to be a success. More than 5,000 sachets of seeds were sold ever since the machine was installed a few months ago,” he added.
Rs.10 is a fixed denomination
to buy seeds
from the machine set up by TNAU
