Ochuli makes dryer for fish and feeds
DEAFENING sounds of metals welcome me into Joseph Ochuli’s workshop located inside new Ntinda market. There are big metallic structures outside and Ochuli is busy working on a timber structure. He is the lead technician but has people who help him in different sections.
By Oyet Okwera
DEAFENING sounds of metals welcome me into Joseph Ochuli’s workshop located inside new Ntinda market. There are big metallic structures outside and Ochuli is busy working on a timber structure.
He is the lead technician but has people who help him in different sections.
Unless one dicovers what exactly is manufactured here, one may not realise it is a hub for farmers’ machinery because the place looks as ordinary as other workshops. One of Ochuli’s products is an already purchased dryer that has a television adjacent to its control panel.
“These structures are for this multi-purpose dryer for drying fish feeds and fruits,†says Ochuli.
How he started
Ochuli says he started inventing dryers in 2000 when he was a student of mechanical engineering at Kyambogo University. He says he learnt the skills from his father who was trained by Mid Way technology of Great Britain .
“My father imparted in me all the principles of manufacturing and designing dryers that can dry anything. Our first dryer is still under operation in Kayunga district and another is at the Faculty of Agriculture,†he says.
Currently, Ochuli is designing another multi-purpose dryer whose output is likely to produce 100kg of products in two hours.
He says Jinja Fish Farmers Group asked him to design a fish feed dryer to help mitigate the process of drying fish feeds.
“I am now in the fourth week of the machine design and hope to complete it in the sixth week,†says Ochuli.
He says the dryer has a heat exchanger that generates heat used to dry the fish feeds and other products. Ochuli says the exchanger is imperative since heat needed must be controlled and cleaned without smoke.
The machine comprises of materials such as timber, galvanized wire mesh, plywood and steel among others. He says the machine is the first ever locally manufactured fish feeds dryer in Uganda. The dryer powered by electricity and biomass has a radio at the control panel
How the dryer will work
Ochuli says the power system will alternate between electricity and biomass. So, if electricity is off, farmers will just switch to biomass mode.
He says charcoal or firewood will be placed on the biomass unit which will be facilitated by a simple generator. The generator will blow air to the heat generated to keep the machine in operation.
Since it is a multi purpose dryer, farmers will be able to dry anything like cereals and fish.
The dryer also has a boiler whose capacity measures up to 200 litres of hot water between 45 minutes and one hour. He says without water, the boiler does not work and stops automatically.
Ochuli has employed and trained 10 youths to help in designing this machine. The machine will cost sh45m.
Future prospects
Ochuli plans to embark on making cold rooms to help farmers store perishable foodstuffs like potatoes and vegetables. He says the cold rooms will store mainly seasonal perishables for a period of six months.
DEAFENING sounds of metals welcome me into Joseph Ochuli’s workshop located inside new Ntinda market. There are big metallic structures outside and Ochuli is busy working on a timber structure.
He is the lead technician but has people who help him in different sections.
Unless one dicovers what exactly is manufactured here, one may not realise it is a hub for farmers’ machinery because the place looks as ordinary as other workshops. One of Ochuli’s products is an already purchased dryer that has a television adjacent to its control panel.
“These structures are for this multi-purpose dryer for drying fish feeds and fruits,†says Ochuli.
How he started
Ochuli says he started inventing dryers in 2000 when he was a student of mechanical engineering at Kyambogo University. He says he learnt the skills from his father who was trained by Mid Way technology of Great Britain .
“My father imparted in me all the principles of manufacturing and designing dryers that can dry anything. Our first dryer is still under operation in Kayunga district and another is at the Faculty of Agriculture,†he says.
Currently, Ochuli is designing another multi-purpose dryer whose output is likely to produce 100kg of products in two hours.
He says Jinja Fish Farmers Group asked him to design a fish feed dryer to help mitigate the process of drying fish feeds.
“I am now in the fourth week of the machine design and hope to complete it in the sixth week,†says Ochuli.
He says the dryer has a heat exchanger that generates heat used to dry the fish feeds and other products. Ochuli says the exchanger is imperative since heat needed must be controlled and cleaned without smoke.
The machine comprises of materials such as timber, galvanized wire mesh, plywood and steel among others. He says the machine is the first ever locally manufactured fish feeds dryer in Uganda. The dryer powered by electricity and biomass has a radio at the control panel
How the dryer will work
Ochuli says the power system will alternate between electricity and biomass. So, if electricity is off, farmers will just switch to biomass mode.
He says charcoal or firewood will be placed on the biomass unit which will be facilitated by a simple generator. The generator will blow air to the heat generated to keep the machine in operation.
Since it is a multi purpose dryer, farmers will be able to dry anything like cereals and fish.
The dryer also has a boiler whose capacity measures up to 200 litres of hot water between 45 minutes and one hour. He says without water, the boiler does not work and stops automatically.
Ochuli has employed and trained 10 youths to help in designing this machine. The machine will cost sh45m.
Future prospects
Ochuli plans to embark on making cold rooms to help farmers store perishable foodstuffs like potatoes and vegetables. He says the cold rooms will store mainly seasonal perishables for a period of six months.