Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of egg farms in Indonesia have challenges in optimization and working efficiency. Workers spend an average of 2–3 hours per day harvesting the eggs, counting their number, and weighing the total egg weight. The number of stages handled results in reduced productivity of stockmen. Each person is only able to handle a population of 3,000–4,000 hen. This figure is far below the average productivity of hen stockmen in competing countries, such as China, the United States, and India.
This condition made a team of lecturers and researchers from the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (DTMM FTUI) to design an automatic egg grading tool that can process 6,000 eggs per hour or twice as much as the conventional method. This production tool is smaller in size than similar equipment produced overseas and costs at an affordable price, which is IDR 30,000,000.00. The making of this tool was realized thanks to a community service which was funded by the Matching Fund Program Batch 3 of Kadaireka in 2022.
“Thank God. The activity initiated by the team succeeded in becoming 1 of the 12 community services approved in the Kedaireka Program. We see that the condition of MSMEs of egg farmers in the field is still labor-intensive. Therefore, with Edu Farmers International Foundation, we designed this tool to increase the productivity of egg farmers and increase the value of eggs produced with an automatic labeling scheme,” said Dr. Jaka Fajar Fatriansyah, M.Sc., IPM. as the Head of Community Service Team of DTMM FTUI.
This automatic egg grading works by sorting eggs based on their weight using the magnetic principle. This tool can sort eggs with three different grades. Automatic egg grading is expected to help MSMEs of egg farmers in Indonesia to increase productivity and the selling value of eggs based on the grade.
“Hopefully, the innovations of the Community Service Team of DTMM FTUI can improve the welfare of stockmen through skills, technological innovation, and empowerment. It is time for the Indonesian livestock industry to adopt technology to increase productivity. This innovation is also expected to build the enthusiasm of the younger generation for the world of Indonesian agriculture in the future,” said Dean of FTUI Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU.
This automatic egg grading was tested at Agrova Farm, Rumpin District, Bogor Regency, West Java, in December 2022. This test was conducted to see the condition of the equipment in the field and to get input from potential users/customers, which is Agrova Farm. This activity was also attended by the Head of Community Service Team DTTM FTUI with the members, namely Muhammad Joshua YB, Agrin F Pradana, Fernanda H., and Andreas F., M. Riza; a representative from Edu Farmers International Foundation, Ignatius Egan; Field Supervisor of Agrova Farm, A. Ilyadi; as well as Agrova Farm stockmen, especially those in the egg sorting and packing department.
“This grading tool innovated by the team is a local product that is not yet widely available in the market. Previously, if stockmen want an egg sorter, usually they have to import it, and it was expensive and difficult for them to afford. We think the results of this innovation from FTUI can fill the gaps in the market,” said Ignatius.
Author: FTUI Public Relations| Editor: Sasa
