Introducing the aerial spray machine to save Lankan agrarian plantations

Diverse coconut tree diseases strike almost yearly, and is a current issue, which leaves agriculturists helpless and Harsha Kumara Gallage’s and Kusal Perera’s invention is targeting mainly this problem and could positively impact the coconut industry as a whole

By Surya Vishwa

This article is part of the national invention series that the Harmony page of the Weekend FT is promoting in a multi-pronged dimension – covering heritage based sustainability of the nation through focus on traditional food sufficiency, indigenous health security, national entrepreneurship, knowledge innovation, national export promotion, planet earth respect/protection and peacebuilding.

The Harmony page is working with diverse stakeholders in Sri Lanka and internationally towards initiating national level programs to ensure Sri Lanka does not fall into the trap of ignoring its own potential. 

This article is connected to an environment and food sufficiency based invention series of Lankan inventor Harsha Kumara Gallage that this page is supporting. 

We recently wrote about a water sealed bio gas unit by Harsha Kumara Gallage who holds several national and international patents for inventions that uphold the principles of non- violence enshrined in the wisdom of the Gautama Buddha, such as his invention for a robotic arm to remove landmines. We mentioned that this self-taught inventor had received recognition from Arthur C. Clark for this invention.

We now feature an agriculture connected invention by Harsha Kumara Gallage and Kusal Perera that could be used for mainly coconut trees or any other tall trees for spraying any substance for the controlling of disease. 

In the past two decades, collectively diverse coconut tree related diseases have forced the felling of thousands of trees and caused massive losses to the coconut industry which is also a key export crop especially for value added products, especially exports.

Diverse coconut tree diseases strike almost yearly, and is a current issue, which leaves agriculturists helpless and Harsha Kumara Gallage’s and Kusal Perera’s invention is targeting mainly this problem and could positively impact the coconut industry as a whole. However it could be used for any other similar crop. This invention is an aerial spray machine that could be set up to get the necessary dilutions in the case of disease to the higher portions of any trees but also used for the spraying of organic fertiliser which needs to be amply distributed to the whole plant for maximum effectiveness. 

This invention serves as a counterpart to another contraption made by him to assist the plucking of the coconut nut. 

The patent has been obtained for this invention by Gallage and Perera and the patent link is mentioned at the bottom of this article. 

The purpose of publishing these details is to reveal to the nation that such an invention exists and the agriculture officials may contact the creators of this machine on the below contact number mentioned if they wish to get the needed manufacturers for this as a solution to a serious food production related problem that Sri Lanka faces almost yearly. 

This invention among others from around the country will be given exposure at the 1st International Conference on Harmony and Reconciliation 2023 (ICHR 2023) on 19 and 20 January 2023 which will be hosted by the Harmony Centre, University of Vavuniya, Sri Lanka embracing the theme of ‘Harmony and Development through Knowledge and Innovation towards Nation Building’. 

The national invention and traditional knowledge entrepreneurship series is facilitated and conceptualised by mass media practitioner and intangible heritage promoter, Frances Bulathsinghala as part of using traditional knowledge and innovation for a model of a national unity and wellbeing policy that could be accepted nationally and used internationally in respect to any country, especially those which have diverse forms of indigenous knowledge. 

Sri Lanka’s biggest problem is not a lack of talent but the lack of recognition for such talent which is part of the problem that has got the nation into a dependency syndrome which thinks that anything imported, including economic advice is the solution for its ills. 

“I have been an inventor from the age of seven and what I have observed in my journey of creating solutions to the problems I see in everyday life, in relation to this country, is that there is a high degree of lethargy in many institutions which is established for the purpose of uplifting the economy of the nation in diverse ways,” says Harsha Kumara Gallage.

“I do not have a degree in economics but it seems to me to be basic common sense that innovation and invention of a nation is the core of economic upliftment of the country and the wellbeing of its people and the progress of villages and towns and the export market. Therefore to me, true patriotism is something to be exercised by all citizens who value innovating for the progress of the nation and for all public officials honourably serving this cause.”

“This invention of the aerial spray was designed in 2006 but we did not start looking for manufacturers or investors on our own till now. We did meet some officials connected to institutions dedicated to the coconut industry in the country but nothing came out of these meetings and while the coconut disease continues to attack regularly, handling it effectively continues to be a dilemma for those confronted with the problem.”

“The idea for the design for this machine was given by my friend, Kusal Perera who owns a coconut estate which used to get devastated by diverse diseases and fungi attacks on his plantations. We used to often discuss practical innovations connected to agriculture and this machine was discussed when we were discussing the financial impact he as a sole planter of a coconut estate encounters when confronted with diseases connected with coconut plants.”

“Because support for this type of innovations is not active in Sri Lanka and because we do not know top manufacturers or investors we did not promote this invention beyond speaking to some government officials. After my bio gas unit was exhibited at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress inventor exhibition last month focusing on renewable energy and through the support of Frances Bulathsinghala for sustainability based innovations I started renewing my interest on some of the earlier patents obtained.”

“The technical details of the aerial spray machine designed by Harsha Kumara Gallage and Kusal Perera is available at the National Intellectual Property Right Office (Patent Office of Sri Lanka). We can be contacted on the following numbers. Harsha Kumara Gallage on 077 4111 731 and Kusal Perera on 0777 537153. We are willing to discuss the manufacturing of the device based on royalties or an investment or sponsor for the product where we can set up a manufacturing unit for this and a series of other sustainability/renewable energy/environment/food security based innovations.”

“What we need is for Sri Lanka to benefit from the creations of thousands of people like us in this country. Today what is happening is we are having all these inventors caged to a small piece of paper – their patent. We do not want to be stuck with framed patents. Why we come up with these ideas is not to merely get a patent. Inventors are not interested to end up with a wall full of patents to be hung on a wall. What we want is for our motherland to benefit from these innovations.”

“This machine functions as a very wide robotic arm that could be easily manipulated manually from the ground or through a remote control we have designed and it could reach four trees simultaneously. We have looked into the practicality of transportation and have designed the device to be fixed to a tractor but it could also be transported through any size or van.”

“It is not cumbersome. It can be handled easily. However what is complicated is the actual making or it. We have divided it into workable ways for us to make it and it is for this that we need the support. The sizes can vary according to the tree sizes, keeping in mind that this could be used for trees other than coconut trees. Therefore the cost of producing the machine varies. The average minimum cost is around twenty lakhs for a small size machine and internationally as well this is a product that will sell as its uses are diverse and could save an entire plantation. It could be used for the agrarian treatment of any tree and not just save it from disease. Internationally I would like if we could have interest shown from countries such as China, Japanese or Korean or Western investors.”

“What Kusal and I would like to emphasise is that although we have designed the above machine for coconut trees that we have strongly kept in mind that this innovation should be used by any other agrarian plantation – for example rubber or mango, etc. Hence we have the main model and the variations that we will create upon the need.”

Note: The above comments in quotes are the verbatim comments by Harsha Kumara Gallage who has nearly 20 patents, some of which have drawn international attention.

Lack of a systemised support in Sri Lanka has prevented inventors such as these to contribute to directly solving the diverse practical problems faced by the country. This is what the Harmony page of the Weekend FT and the Daily FT collectively is attempting to do as part of our overall endeavour to innovate upon journalism as something that directly supports initiating national solutions as opposed to merely reporting on them.