Pearl Millet Thresher

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Bountifield International

Manufacturing/Building Method

Bountifield International works with a manufacturer in Senegal to establish local production of the threshers. In addition, local artisans across Senegal are being trained to provide technical support to clients in their regions.

Intellectural Property Type

Trade Secret

User Provision Model

Bountifield International makes the thresher available to farmers through donations received from individuals and organizations. The company also partners with organizations like USAID to make the product available to farmers.

Distributions to Date Status

As of 2020, 29,000 people impacted in Senegal. With support from USAID’s Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation initiative, CTI launched a pilot program in Senegal in 2014. CTI has sold 188 individual grinders and thresher suites through the program.

Design Specifications

The Pearl Millet Thresher is made up of a drum and screen thresher that strips, threshes, and winnows grain. The product is a hand-operated tool that is able to thresh 50 kg of millet per hour. It produces clean millet at a higher rate compared to the traditional threshing methods. The thresher can be moved around, enabling it to serve multiple farmers within a community easily.

Technical Support

Bountifield International is training local artisans in Senegal to provide technical support to users of the product.

Replacement Components

Repairs and spare parts available from the manufacturer in Senegal.

Lifecycle

7-10 years

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The Pear Millet Thresher is designed to produce high-quality, clean grain at a rate 10 times faster than traditional methods and produce 50 kg of grain output per hour. Additionally, this product generates $42 USD per year as average savings vs other existing threshers, with a 2-year return of investment for farmers.

Vetted Performance Status

Through the Bountifield International's evaluations in Senegal, it was found that the stripper output is 43 kg/hr, the thresher is 60kg/hour, and the winnower is 44 kg/hr, with the optional grain grinder, which produces 20 kg/hour, all operated by hand. With traditional methods, a group of women can produce six kilograms of grain. With CTI's pearl millet tools, they can produce 45 to 60 kilograms.

Safety

The potential risk associated with the use of this product is that some grains might be caught in rotatory components.

Complementary Technical Systems

In the pilot product launch, Bountifield International proposed the selling of threshing services to neighbors, letting each entrepreneur select an appropriate service for their community. Upon returning to the communities, the company discovered that the fee-for-service model was effective among most of the communities.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Unknown

Other Information

None