Groundnut Processing

The physically taxing process of producing edible oil

India is the world’s second largest producer of groundnut, with Gujarat taking the lead in its production. It is estimated that on average India produces about 300,000 tonnes of groundnut oil every year. Groundnut contains 50% of oil and has a variety of uses, and India consumed nearly 1.17 million metric tons of of groundnut oil in 2021.

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"We can only employ young or middle aged men to operate the machine because of the intensive physical effort required to remove oil cake from the machine."

The groundnuts are added to an oil extraction unit, and afterward the oil cake produced has to be removed by a crowbar, which requires considerable physical effort and can cause callouses in the workers’ hands as well as musculoskeletal disorders in the long term.

"There is a very less awareness among farmers about the oil cake's uses. That led to lower sales than expected"

Groundnut can be a viable cattle feed, as well as an important rotation crop. However, farmers lack knowledge about these and therefore there is not much demand for groundnut in the market.

Problem Statement:

How might we ensure the safety of workers in groundnut farming, as well as improve the hygiene conditions and make the process more efficient?