A forty-nine-year old man from Samamba village in Senga Hill district has come up with an innovation that will reduce the time women take to pound cassava into cassava meal.
Osward Simpasa has invented a machine using a defunct bicycle that is able to make cassava meal.
Mr Simpasa narrated that he came up with his innovation to lessen the challenges women in his community face.
He said women face challenges in pounding cassava using traditional mortars, which are becoming scarce due to the indiscriminate cutting of trees.
Mr Simpasa disclosed that he first made a hand machine using elasticated materials, which was not only time-consuming but also labour-intensive.
He disclosed that he later made his second attempt, which did not yield positive results, until he used his defunct bicycle to make the small machine that is now helping the locals.
Mr Simpasa appealed to well-wishers and government for financial support to enable him to realize his vision of inventing a big machine that is also energy efficient.
” This machine is not only providing entertainment and leisure to the young people who assist in milling the cassava, but it does not contaminate the environment either,” Mr Simpasa noted.
He disclosed that he is ready to make more of such machines, which can help provide employment to the youth in the area.
Mr Simpasa said this in an interview with ZANIS in Senga Hill during the agricultural, tourism and investment show in the area.
And some women from Samamba Village who have used the machine before testified how it is helping many households in the area.
Elizabeth Chaliwanda narrated that in the past, women were taking more than one hour to pound 10 kg of cassava into mealie meal, but the coming of the machine has lessened it to now taking less than twelve minutes.
Ms Chaliwanda said the coming of the machine is a relief to many households in her community who are able to use that time for other house chaos.
And Senga Hill District Commissioner Elizabeth Goma, who interacted with Mr. Simpasa, made a passionate appeal on his behalf to the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises.
Ms Goma said the innovation has come at a time when the government is encouraging people to come up with various innovations to grow the economy.
She noted that if assisted with resources, Mr Simpasa is capable of improving his machine to start offering a service to the community and create jobs, especially for the youth.
Meanwhile, Senga Hill District Council Chairperson Kings Sikainga advised small scale farmers in the area to make use of the good rains to increase their production this farming season.
Mr. Sikainga said farmers should take advantage of the good climatic conditions the district is blessed with to increase their harvest and produce more food to contribute to the national food basket.
He also warned farmers to desist from selling their produce to the private buyers who are exploiting them with the scales they are using.
The Council Chairperson instead advised the farmers to sell their maize to the Food Reserves Agency (FRA) at a good price of K330 per 50 kg.
Mr Sikainga called on the farmers to consider farming a very lucrative business venture, especially at this time when some parts of the country are experiencing droughts.
By Namusokwe Bwembya
ZANIS
