In just five seconds, Ganapathi Bhat, a 50-year-old Indian farmer, has effortlessly reached the top of a 20m-tall tree, where he begins to harvest betel nuts.
A feat made possible by a device he made himself and which he calls the “tree scooter”.
Consisting of a small engine from chainsaw maker Stihl, a rudimentary seat and a set of wheels, this scooter helps Bhat reach the peaks of oil palms in the coastal town of Mangaluru, India.
The farmer explains that he started working on his invention in 2014, because of his age and because he could not find cheap labor able to climb these areca palms, which can reach several meters height.
“There is a shortage of workers.
Labor cost is also very high.
I invented this betel nut tree climbing machine to overcome this problem, because it is necessary for us to harvest in time, because it becomes difficult during the rainy season.”
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Ganapathi Bhat spent around 4 million Indian rupees, or $52,824, on research and development, and it took four years before he and his engineering partner had a working prototype, coming up against questions from those close to him.
“The villagers asked me if I was crazy.
They had doubts about my invention… If it works during the rainy season because the trees would be slippery.
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The inventor says he has sold more than 300 of these "tree scooters" so far, which cost 62,000 Indian rupees ($819.02) each.
Other farmers are eager to use the scooter to increase their productivity.
According to Mr. Bhat, a scooter can easily harvest more than 300 palm trees in a day, while the traditional method only harvests 100 trees a day.
“I'm proud to have done something for people with this invention,” said Ganapathi Bhat.
"I feel like my life is complete now."
