The Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station yesterday launched a solar-powered seed drill, which it said would be 15 times more efficient than traditional plows and is expected to alleviate labor shortages and reduce carbon emissions in Aboriginal communities.
The environmentally friendly machine, which is powered by a 300 watt solar panel, does not emit pollution like traditional seed drills that run on gasoline or diesel, station Deputy Director Chen Yu-chu (陳昱初) said at a news conference in Taipei to unveil the device.
The Council of Agriculture-affiliated station and its counterparts in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Miaoli and Hualien counties are tasked with improving the quality of specific regional crops and developing new agricultural techniques.
It takes the solar-powered drill only two hours to sow seeds on a 1-hectare farm — 15 times less than the 30 hours needed by farmers with plows, Chen said.
It would be a boon to agriculture in Aboriginal communities, many of which have labor shortages as their populations age, he said.
The nation’s first solar-powered seed drill can fully recharge in four-and-a-half hours with sufficient sunlight and has capacity to sow up to 20 hectares at a time, station technical specialist Tseng Hsiang-en (曾祥恩) said.
It can be used to sow small seeds, such as those of millet and quinoa — crops often cultivated by Aborigines in eastern Taiwan, he said, adding that it is also equipped with a barrier sweeper to clear its way.
Maintenance is easy, as farmers can use a piece of cloth to clean the solar panel, he said.
The station aims to transfer the technology to private companies after obtaining the council’s consent, Chen said, adding that if all goes smoothly, farmers and their associations might be able to purchase the machine next year.
The machine costs about NT$200,000, which might be lowered to NT$150,000 if it enters mass production, he said, adding that the station would also aim to diversify its functions.
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