New Delhi, Jan 15 (IANS): Mushtaq Ahmed Dar, a grassroots innovator from Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir, has brought out a series of innovations for making the processing of walnuts easier and more efficient.

Dar has also brought a device that makes climbing poles easier.

The innovations for walnut processing include a walnut cracking machine, walnut peeler, washer, and sorter to streamline walnut production and help reduce the drudgery of people involved in walnut processing, a niche occupation primarily in the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

It is an occupation also followed in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

"These set of machines have also empowered the people involved in the occupation by giving them the capability to supply fresh kernels to domestic and world markets by cracking walnut of varied types like paper-shelled, thin-shelled, medium-shelled, and hard-shelled, efficiently and effectively," said a release from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

This helps them grow their business by exporting and marketing the edible fruit inside and not the shelled walnut, thereby making the final product more attractive.

"The technology has also evinced interest from international markets, particularly from Afghanistan," the release added.

The genesis of his other innovation -- Pole-Pro -- is rooted in the complex geography of Kashmir Valley, where carrying bulky ladders for routine repairs delays the outcome every time.

The Pole-Pro solution eliminated the need for bulky ladders in most situations. It helped first-hand diagnosis of problems in electricity, telecom, and other poles with safety protocols.