Manipur man invents betel nut peeling, leaf washing machine

Retired Army personnel T Thangkhansuan of Vengnuam, Churachandpur HQ, has built a machine for peeling Areca nuts as well as a betel leaf washing machine, a first in Manipur and one of the most unique ideas being produced in Churachandpur district.

The betel nut peeling machine, which was manufactured from washing machine scraps, has been in service for some time and has enabled Thangkhansuan earn at least Rs 1,000 every day.

With five family members to support, the inventor stated that his pension was insufficient and that he attempted to supplement his income by inventing the betel nut peeling machine and leaf washing machine from the motor of his defunct clothes washing machine.

He claims that he earns Rs 1,000-2,000 per day on average with his machine. Thangkhansuan claims that his invention consists of three machines. The first is for peeling the outer layer of the betel nut, while the second is for cleaning the nut's inner layer. He added that the third machine is for cleaning the betel leaf.

Because betel nut consumption is high in Churachandpur, the machine is in high demand, according to the inventor. Apart from the efforts of his family, he was barely able to supply the goods for which he occasionally hired people.

Anyone can learn to use the machines because it is a cottage industry, he says, but it requires a constant power supply.

The National Innovation Foundation - India, an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, wanted details on his machine, and he was working on it right now to send videos and share the uniqueness of his idea, he added.