PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF LOCALLY FABRICATED RICE DEHUSKING MACHINE

Rice is one of the most widely consumed cereal crops in the world and constitutes a major staple food in many developing countries including Nigeria. However, traditional methods of rice processing such as hand pounding using mortar and pestle are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and inefficient. These traditional techniques often result in low output capacity, high grain breakage, and poor quality rice. Consequently, there is a need for the development of simple and efficient rice processing machines that can improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses. This project focuses on the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of a rice dehusking machine using locally available materials. The study reviews existing rice milling technologies and highlights the principles of rice milling as a unit operation. Engineering design calculations were carried out for major machine components including the belt drive mechanism, pulley system, shaft design, and bearing selection to ensure efficient power transmission and operational stability. The machine components such as the milling shaft, cylinder, support frame, hopper, and discharge unit were fabricated and assembled. After fabrication, the machine was tested to evaluate its operational performance in terms of dehusking efficiency and output capacity. The testing results indicated that the machine effectively removed the husk from paddy rice and significantly reduced the processing time compared with traditional manual methods. The developed rice dehusking machine is simple in construction, easy to operate, and suitable for small and medium-scale rice processing. The adoption of this machine can improve rice milling efficiency, reduce manual labor, minimize grain losses, and contribute to improved agricultural productivity in rural communities.