Cinnamon Process Technology

Cinnamon is the mainstay of more than 700,000 rural Sri Lankan families scattered in almost all the agro-ecological zones. It is a small-holder crop with most holdings less than 0.5 ha.Improvement in the cinnamon sector is the only pathway for poverty alleviation in this group of rural families. It will also facilitate the economic and socioeconomic development of Sri Lanka. A major drawback of the cinnamon sector is linked to the traditional method of product process technology requiring strenuous labor, resulting in a dearth of cinnamon processors (peelers). The majority of cinnamon peelers belong to an endogamous group identified by occupation. They form a separate group often associated through kinship ties. In the last two decades, an attempt has been made to mechanize the processing of cinnamon through the introduction of technological innovations. Toward this end, we have introduced machinery for peeling and rubbing, the two most laborious processes in cinnamon processing that have attracted workers from different strata of society, not limiting to the endogamous group of peelers as well as a shift from the centuries-old male domination of the workforce. A bench that is suitable for the whole processing cycle (scraping, rubbing, peeling, and quill making) has also been introduced, improving the health and safety at the workplace and ergonomics of the processors. This chapter discusses this shift from traditional cinnamon processing to innovation-based technology with recommendations for further improvement in the industry.