A decortication machine for stripping fiber, being developed by İzmir-based ASTAB, was introduced at an event in Samsun organized by the Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Ministry's General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies (TAGEM).
Supported under TAGEM's Research and Development Support Program, the project involves ASTAB Makina, the Black Sea Agricultural Research Institute, Ondokuz Mayıs University and MAYTEKS Örme Sanayi A.Ş.
It targets one ton of fiber production per month by substantially reducing the time and labor spent separating fibers from stalks, traditionally done manually in Turkey.
The machine will also strip flax and nettle stalks without retting. Eliminating that stage also prevents decay.
The team said work had begun under the project and a prototype had been developed.
