TIME EFFICIENCY, OUTPUT AND COST-BENEFIT OF A SEMI-MECHANIZED POLY-POT MACHINE

This study assesses the operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and production benefits of a semi-mechanized machine designed for poly-pot soil filling and arranging at the Nursery department of Onigambari Research Station. The machine, a semi-mechanized tool, fills and arranges 100 poly-pots in one operation, aiming to reduce drudgery, labour costs and enhance nursery production. The study objectives include evaluating the machine’s time efficiency against manual labour, analyzing time savings and productivity gains, and examining cost implications. Using Welch’s two-sample t-test, the machine proved significantly faster than manual labour for processing 200 poly-pots (p< 0.001), saving an average of 29.6 minutes (95% CI: 25.83–33.37 minutes). The cost-benefit analysis revealed that producing 200,000 poly-pots with the machine costs N1,025,140, saving N374,860 (27%) compared to manual labour’s N1,400,000. For a daily target of 2,000 poly-pots, the machine achieves 1,800 pots/day, close to the target, while manual labour manages 1,160 pots/day. In nursery operations, where precise soil filling prevents pot hardening within tight production schedules, the machine’s speed and efficiency ensure it meets annual production targets, offering significant time and cost savings over manual methods.