IIT Kanpur Engineer Built Cheap Cold Storage Device To Reduce Farmer's Losses

An IIT-Kanpur-incubated startup has developed a cost-effective way of extending the life of the perishable produce, using cold storage that farmers or vegetable vendors can set up effortlessly anywhere and save their products from going bad.

WWF-India

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The product is called SaptKrishi Sabjikothi which is essentially a microclimate storage for fruits and vegetables that is also portable enough to be mounted on hand carts, trucks, e-rickshaws etc.

The innovator behind this is Nikky Kumar Jha, an IIT-Kanpur Alumni, who claims that this microclimate storage solution can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables between five to 30 days.

Twitter: @RajivKumar1

Sabjikothi is designed as an on-field and on-market storage solution that can easily be placed on a variety of means of transportation and allow the produce to remain fresh while also not coming in contact with any kind of contaminants.

How does it work

Sabjikothi makes use of ethylene oxidising and near-sterile microclimate in an insulated chamber that inhibits pathogen growth, delays ripening and regulates the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

Also Read: IIT Kanpur Trying Faster Drone Delivery Of Covid Vaccines, According To ICMR

It oxidises ethylene into hydrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapour and other small molecules which further creates a controlled atmosphere that helps the produce stay fresh for longer.

WWF-India

Sabjikothi requires 20 watts of power and one litre of water to help it keep things cool inside. It comes fitted with a battery that is capable of lasting for a whole day on a single charge. However, there is also an option of solar charging to extend the lifespan of the battery, slightly longer.

It can store up to 200 kilograms of produce at once and is smart enough to change the temperature based on the amount of produce stored. It¡¯s also pretty affordable at Rs 10,000 per unit.

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SaptKrishi

There¡¯s another variant that¡¯s designed for traders that is capable of storing up to 500 kilograms of produce and also comes with a mobile app for monitoring the health of the produce as well as other diagnostics.

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