Evaluating Economic Feasibility and Harvesting Cost ofDeveloped Indigenized Carrot Harvesting Machine in Comparison with Manual Harvesting

Abstract

Carrot harvesting in traditional methods is highly labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. Manual harvesting requires a large workforce, involving digging, pulling, and trimming carrots in a stooping position, which not only a difficult job but also poses physical stress in back and health risks. Moreover, labor availability during peak seasons is also hard and they often charge extra for harvesting. To address these challenges, a study was conducted to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a developed carrot harvesting machineand compared with the manual harvesting. The cost of harvesting was evaluated at optimized machine operational parameters. The machine's operational parameters such as forward speed (1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 km/h) and blade angle (15°, 19°, and 25°) were optimized using response surface methodology. The results showed that the machine achieved minimal damage of 4.06% at 1.5 km/h and 25° blade angle, with a field capacity of 0.31 ha/h and field efficiency of 66.7%. The machine took round 3.5 hours for harvesting one hectare of carrot field and fuel consumption for harvesting obtained was 5.5 L/h.The economic analysis revealed that mechanical harvesting saved 51-60% of costs compared to manual harvesting, resulting efficiency, reduce labor force and minimizing cost.