Described herein is an apparatus and method for dispensing a granular material. The apparatus includes a hopper for storing the granular material and a feeder for delivering the granular material through a hopper outlet to a dispensing tube that is configured to guide the granular material towards a dispensing outlet. The valve assembly is actuatable to pinch and unpinch the dispensing tube, thereby blocking and unblocking the passage of material. The valve assembly is configured to receive a resilient portion of the dispensing tube, and is actuatable to pinch the resilient portion of the dispensing tube to inhibit passage of the granular material to the dispensing port, and to unpinch said resilient potion of the dispensing tube to enable passage of the granular material through the dispensing port. The dispensing tube may be sloped between the hopper outlet and the valve assembly. Sloping of the dispensing tube promotes sliding of the granular material along an inner surface of the dispensing tube. This focusses the flow profile of the granular material, and reduces the scattering of granular material outside the vessel.