On average, the cassava chipper slices more than 10 sacks of cassava. PHOTO by roland d. nasasira

After you have harvested your cassava or any other crop for slicing, you have to peel and split it into average size pieces before casting it into the chipper. Unlike the two horsepower chipper, the 5.5horse power chipper does not slice big pieces, writes Roland D. Nasasira.

Technological trends in agriculture have improved over the years. These have not only evolved from tractors used in ploughing and planting fields but it has also crossed over to post- harvest handling. One of such trends is the cassava chipper that helps you better process not only cassava but other crops after harvesting. The chipper comes in two manufacturer denominations. There’s one of two horse power (2HP) and the relatively smaller one of 5.5 horsepower, both of which are stainless steel to eliminate cancer causing agents in your produce. However, the difference between the two lies in their production capacities, mostly variant in kilogrammes and the mechanism of running and physical sizes. While the two horsepower chipper runs using hydroelectric power and slices approximately 50 kilogrammes per hour using three units of power, the 5.5 chipper runs on a petrol engine and produces one to two tonnes of sliced produce in one hour using three litres of petrol. It is suitable for large scale or industrial purposes. The advantage of the cassava chipper is that it slices a variety of harvests. These include cassava, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and ginger and any other harvest that you need to dry faster for further processing. If you have sliced produce, say sweet potatoes, the chipper slices them further in the smallest sizes so that it dries within a short time. According to Farida Namutebi, the head of sales at Musa Body Machinery at Katwe that fabricates the cassava chipper, smaller sizes of sliced produce is achievable because the chipper comes with different changeable blades that give you different preferable results. “There are blades that slice your harvested produce to the size of irish potato chips as well as blades that slice harvest whose thinness is similar to that of crisps. You just have to change the blades depending on what you want to slice,” Namutebi explains. How to achieve best results After you have harvested your cassava or any other crop for slicing, you have to peel and split it into average size pieces before casting it into the chipper. Unlike the two horsepower chipper, the 5.5horse power chipper does not slice big pieces. You have to cut them into small pieces before you deposit them into the slicing chamber. Namutebi notes that it is advisable not to deposit cassava or any other produce that will leave sticks or threads in the chipper because it causes damage to the blades, thereby creating a need to have them replaced within a short time.

Service and maintenance “Maintenance for the two machines is mainly carried out on the engine. This involves changing engine oil on time. If the machine is to run the whole day, it means you have to carry out an oil change daily. The more the oil works in an engine, the more it becomes water form,” Namutebi adds. The chipper does not only simplify your work of cutting any produce for fast drying but it also improves value addition by improving the quality of the sliced produce. This is because the produce ought to be washed clean before slicing. This is in addition to drying the produce in a clean place free from dust.

Cost The two horsepower cassava chipper costs Shs2.5m while the 5.5horsepower costs Shs4.5m at Musa Body Machinery and other agricultural tool outlets. This also comes with training on how to operate the machine and three year warranty.

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