Most cereal farmers spend waste much time and seed during plating due to poor planting methods, this according to Sygnata, a global cereals breeder. In move to curb this, agricultural equipment companies in Kenya have developed precision planters of diverse sizes and use to accommodate both large and smallholder farmers.

Dume Limited, a company assembling agricultural machinery in Kenya has developed a low cost seed maize planter capable of uniformly planting two rows at ago.

The seed planter has also a fertilizer injection tool allowing the farmer to carry out two functions concurrently. The fertilizer section has a adjustable metering units which are fluted roller type made of steel and are controlled by simply opening and closing a gate allowing uniform quantity of fertilizer for every hole.

The fertilizer is put into the ground behind a heavy duty spring loaded tine which penetrates the ground approximately 5 inches deep. Only the tine point penetrates the ground, depth control of this tine is achieved by two depth control wheels on the back of the main planter frame. Behind each tine is an adjustable fertilizer pipe, a simple adjustment of the pipe allows the operator to change the placement of the fertilizer up and down.

The seeding parallelogram follows 25 inches behind the fertilizer tine. The precision seed metering unit is of a vertical spoon pick up seed disc that places the seed directly behind the seeding point. Seed planting depth is controlled by adjustable double press wheels running behind the parallelogram. The seed spacing can be changed easily by simply selecting a different gear on a centrally mounted gear box.

According to Francis Macharia, the seed planter is easy to maintain as it requires cleaning and oiling to avoid rusting and easy movement. The planter doesn’t require much skill to operate and small ones can be pulled manually by animals while bigger ones can be pulled by tractors. The planter costs Sh90,000 which can be paid in three equal installments and comes with two sizes of spoon pickup discs, one for large seeds like maize and beans, and the other for smaller seeds.