ABSTRACT
Pepper is considered as a major spice crop with high export value. Traditional method of pepper berry collection is a risky, tedious and unhygienic practice. To get rid of these problems, a gender friendly pepper plucker cum separator was developed with plucking and separation. The new product comprises of two guiding vanes that direct the pepper spikes to the conical drum in which the separation of the pepper grain from the spikes takes place by the rolling action and friction. The present methods available are pepper grain separators in which the grain is to be collected manually and then separated batch wise. Also, there is a plucker which serves the purpose of collection only and therefore separation is needed to be done manually. This innovation helps to decrease the effort required by incorporating plucking as well as separating the grain from the stem inside the product, thereby making it an easier process for the cultivators. Also, it is built with excellent manoeuvring capabilities. Thus, with the new equipment we can make even the housewives, which form a major part of the spices industry, to use the product effortlessly for cultivation.
