Dried betel nuts selling is a popular business in Kamrup and Goalpara districts of Assam. Majority of the workforce in this field is tribal women only. Hand tool (Sakta) is used for cutting supari is crude and its output is very low. Dehusking and betel nut cutting process is very much time consuming and drudgery oriented. Finger and palm cuts are common problems. Low productivity rate. RuTAG IIT Guwahati developed two models of betel nut cutter for the women SHG groups of Goalpara and Kamrup districts of Assam. Hand and leg muscle powered is used to cut down the betel nuts and along with the dehusking operation is also added within the models. Women users have the choice to select the tool based as per the need and ease of operation. 700 – 750 betel nut/hr can cut with this cutter against 80-100 betel nut/hr in traditional method.
