Bhopal: The ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (ICAR-CIAE), Bhopal, has strengthened its role in India’s agricultural mechanization efforts through its Post-Harvest Equipment/Machinery (PHEM) Testing Centre, which has become a nationally recognized facility for evaluating and certifying post-harvest machinery.
Authorized by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, the centre has successfully tested 152 post-harvest machines since its inception and generated ₹2.3 crore (₹230 lakh) in revenue, while supporting research, innovation, and capacity building in the agricultural sector.
The PHEM Testing Centre was established under the Agro-Produce Processing Division of ICAR-CIAE to provide scientific testing and performance evaluation of post-harvest machinery used across India.
The facility follows testing protocols prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), ensuring that certified machines meet nationally accepted standards for quality, efficiency, and reliability.
Manufacturers, entrepreneurs, startups, and agricultural equipment developers use the centre to validate the performance of their machinery before commercial deployment.
Wide Range of Agricultural Machinery Evaluated
The centre is authorized to evaluate various types of post-harvest equipment, including:
- Cleaner-cum-graders
- Destoners
- Mini rice mills
- Flour mills
- Dal mills
- Oil expellers
- Agricultural dryers
- Other food processing and post-harvest machines
Each machine undergoes comprehensive testing that includes:
- No-load performance tests
- Load tests
- Long-duration operational testing
- Construction and material quality assessment
- Capacity and efficiency evaluation
- Energy consumption analysis
- Grain loss measurement
- Output quality verification
These evaluations help ensure that only reliable and efficient machinery reaches farmers and agribusinesses.
The testing centre has attracted manufacturers from several states, including:
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
- Gujarat
- Madhya Pradesh
- Chhattisgarh
- Maharashtra
The type of machinery submitted often reflects regional agricultural practices.
For example:
- Uttar Pradesh contributes a significant number of mini rice mills, particularly from the Tanda region, known for rice cultivation.
- Maharashtra submits a diverse range of machinery, including dal mills, oil expellers, cleaner-cum-graders, sugarcane juice extractors, and papad-making machines.
This nationwide participation highlights the growing trust in the centre’s technical expertise.
Since its establishment, the centre has:
- Tested 152 post-harvest machines
- Generated ₹230 lakh (₹2.3 crore) in revenue
Following infrastructure upgrades completed in 2024, the facility can now test 40–50 machines annually.
Officials estimate that the upgraded centre has the potential to generate nearly ₹80 lakh in annual revenue through testing and certification services.
The increasing number of testing applications reflects growing demand driven by:
- Government subsidy programmes
- Renewal of certified machinery
- Rising demand for quality equipment
- Introduction of new agricultural technologies
Among all categories evaluated by the centre, seed and grain cleaner-cum-graders account for nearly 48% of total machines tested.
These machines play an important role in:
- Improving grain quality
- Enhancing purity
- Reducing impurities
- Increasing market value
According to the institute, scientific cleaning and grading can improve the market value of agricultural produce by 10–15%, enabling farmers to secure better prices for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and millets.
Revenue generated through commercial testing services is reinvested into:
- Agricultural research projects
- Prototype development
- Technology innovation
- Institutional infrastructure
- Division-level development activities
This self-sustaining model allows the institute to continuously strengthen research while expanding testing capabilities.
Beyond testing and certification, the PHEM Testing Centre has emerged as a major training hub for post-harvest engineering.
More than 5,000 participants have received training at the centre, including:
- Faculty members
- Students
- Entrepreneurs
- Equipment manufacturers
- Farmers
These programmes help improve awareness of modern agricultural technologies and promote the adoption of efficient post-harvest practices.
