Mr. Aman Agrawal, Founder of Future Agronomists, Harda, Madhya Pradesh, talks about value addition through solar drying.
Value addition through solar drying can add benefits to the agriculture sector. India, being an agricultural country, does well in producing agriculture produce like fruits and vegetables, grains, pulses. But it is a surprise why our farmers are not getting good profit out of it. IIRI reports that nearly 30 to 40% of our produce is getting wasted in our country. Hence there is an immediate need for preserving the quality of the produce and to convert them into value added and sustainable products that will come for a long time. There are lots of cold storages for long term benefits and usage of chemicals like sodium and copper fluoride for preserving the produce. But we have to look at a sustainable model of preservation. Here comes solar drying which is the best and most affordable model that we can adopt easily. A cold storage needs regular supply of electricity, we have to maintain the temperature for a longer period of time, and we have to keep the cold storage on for a long time.
But with solar dryers, we can solar dry the produce for a few days, and once the product is solar dried with moisture fully taken out, we can store the product for a few years too. We can make them into powder form and pack in air tight containers for repeated usage. It is different from any other method in that solar drying is a low energy method, and the source of energy we use is sun which is available in plenty in our country. But most of the European countries do not have this much of solar energy.
How is solar drying done and how it can add value to products? A good friend of mine started studying about solar drying model. He created a triangular panel which can be placed on the down side where we have to place the small pieces of vegetables and fruits like tomato on the permeable tray. Through that, water and other moisture can be removed due to gravitational force, and only the solid part remains. When we put it in trays in the solar dryer which has blades on both sides. A black film absorbs more heat, and that is how it is different from normal solar drying. In regular solar drying method, there is lot of humidity and moisture and pollution on the outer part. But in our system, there are compartments of …. Shape. We put the trays of fruits and vegetables on this model, and the ventilation chambers remove the humidity and moisture. The black films inside and the semi permeable layer takes moisture outside on a regular basis. If we put 100 kgs of fruits and vegetables for 7 to 8 days, it can be converted into dried form, and we can mix whatever we want. We can also convert the dried produce into powder form.
We have all the nutrients retained in the products. The water is taken out from the tomato powder, onion powder, or garlic powder for example. This product is easily transportable and sustainable for a year or two. We see that the tomato prices which used to be Rs. 10 to 25 sometime back have soared now. If we have used the products when they were available in plenty for solar drying and made them into powder, there will be no price rise, and we can get the products all through the year easily. It is a good business for the farmers too. We often see that the farmers do not get the good price for their product, and often there is shortage of the vegetables. The solar dryers can be built with Rs. 15 to 25 thousand for a one ton capacity, the produce can be ordered directly from the farmers. SHG and farmers can indulge in this business to add value. European market is fond of sundried products from India, especially the hotel Industry. For example, the tomato ketchup in India has 3 sundried powders – onion, tomato, and garlic. So with such ingredients added, we can get good business out of it. We can get in touch with the nearby agents, buy the vegetables and the required materials, and use the solar dryer to get value added products. We can easily sell them and get a good business out of it. We can save cost, and we can retain the fruits and vegetables for a longer time to be used in non-season. Normally tomato is sold at Rs. 10 to 15 per kg, and the sundried tomato powder is sold at Rs. 30 to 40 and even up to 60 in the market. The taste and nutrients are retained as in the normal produce except water to be used in gravies and curries.
How solar drying can help the farmers? Farmers who grow tomato may get about 25 quintals of tomato throughout the year in the season. If he sells in the mandi, during season it is sold at Rs. 10 to 12 per kg, but he will get maximum profit of Rs. 3 lakhs. But when he goes for solar drying, if he sells the tomato powder in non-season and rainy season when most of the crops are not in the harvesting stage, he can get Rs. 30 to 40 per kg and get Rs. 6 to 7 lakhs profit. If he is part of an FPO or some international business firm exporting to European market where prices are much high, he can work on selling solar dried powder than normal tomato. He can get nearly Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs from his own farm tomatoes. In traditional method, farmers harvest products and sell at mandis where the price is low, and earning capacity is low. But solar drying method can change the life of farmers and FPOs are doing it for their welfare. FPOs can definitely do the solar drying at their own place at a minimum cost of Rs. 15 to 20 thousand to build the chamber.
People may ask how it is different from the traditional solar drying method. In an open environment the produce gets contaminated by dirt, humidity, moisture, bacteria, fungus, and hands-on practices. We may not get good price, and we cannot be guaranteed that the nutritional value will remain. But in this machine, the external environment has no impact on the produce. The sealed black filament concentrate the solar energy, the crop gets equal amount of sunlight and energy. So it is better to sundry the products in this chamber. With the permeable layers, the sunrays are spread uniformly. That is how the solar dryer is useful. Small entrepreneurs and startups in urban areas can do it in the backyard or terrace.
What specific crops or produce can benefit from solar drying, and how does it enhance their market value?
Mostly any crop can be solar dried but have different time factors. The solar dried products are used in hotel and restaurants. Produces like apple, onion, tomato, garlic which have more moisture content and are perishable can be sundried. We can get better value added products through solar drying as the moisture level is reduced in such perishable crops. Cherries, apples, cashew-nut apples are a few fruits that are majorly sundried due their moisture content and perishable nature. Anything can be solar dried, time taken is different, and can be converted into powder like moringa.
Are there any government departments or programs that support the adoption of solar drying methods in agriculture?
There are many government programs that offer subsidies for the solar drying methods of the companies that are recognised by the government of India. They offer up to 50% subsidy for the solar drying machines. There is a solar program from Yojana that offers solar panels at subsidised price for the solar farms. We can apply for the subsidy for the electrical applications needed. There are many easy methods, and one of them is to get from a startup company which is selling solar drying machines recognised by the government. They would be offering subsidy for this.
What are some key considerations for Agri entrepreneurs looking to implement solar drying techniques in their business?
It is a very easy method, and people should not go for fruits and vegetables that are not available easily. People usually go for apples, but it may not be available in that area. So they have to buy from outside and solar dry, but it is expensive. We need to check for availability of the product, farmers should be able to supply. Next comes demand. In the area, the local saleability from people and industries eager to buy the products should be there. We should check if they know about the solar dried products or create awareness among them by doing market survey. When we go for European market, we should know which country looks for solar dried products from India. If there are lot of industries and restaurants that do not know about sun dried powder and use only traditional paste, we should contact them and check if the dried products are easily available. Then we can start the venture. 2 to 3 people are needed for slicing up the products. We should do marketing, and we should be clear about which part we want to work in, such as B2B or B2C or export.
How does solar drying compare to traditional drying methods in terms of cost effectiveness and efficiency?
When we do in traditional method, it is an open solar drying method where we put the products in an open area or terrace and dry for 15 days. We can never know about weather, moisture, contamination and dirt that will spoil the product. The Solar drying machine uses a closed chamber with ventilation chamber to continuously monitor air and temperature so that products are not contaminated. It is a better and more efficient way with no specific shelf life. This is cost effective too.
What are the essential requirements or equipment needed to set up a solar drying system?
It is a chamber with a few basic things like chamber that collects moisture, triangle panels, transparent glass panels and black filament to ensure the moisture and help the unit work better. They have a semi permeable tray which can be closed or opened at different times, such as night when we can keep it closed, it will not let moisture or ventilation, and to continuously pass the air. The solar dryer can be bought or assembled on your own.
Are there any specific training or educational programs available to learn about solar drying for agriculture value addition?
There are training programs arranged by ICAR for which we can apply online. There are also FPOs that train farmers. Companies are giving training to upcoming entrepreneurs, farmers, and there are startups that give good training. Rather than going for government training, we can go for a local startup that offers training. It is not difficult to do the training. There are two options – go with ICAR or startup to learn about solar drying process.
Can you tell us a success story of farmers or entrepreneurs who have implemented solar drying and achieved value addition?
My friend Varun Raheja created this device which is portable. Earlier solar dryers were not portable. He transferred the portable solar dryers to tribal areas and collaborated with the farmers, tribes and started producing different products with buy back facility offering good profit to them. Though he is from a non-agriculture background he made a good business, got recognition from the government of India too.
What are the potential challenges or limitations one may face when adopting solar drying techniques and how to overcome them?
To adopt solar drying, first things is to explore the market that is ready to buy the products. Lot of people are not aware of this, and there is a misconception that taste and nutrients are not retained. We need to disprove this misconception. People are also not aware of the availability of the machines or training part for this. We must make them aware that it is cost effective, can be started at a low investment of Rs. 15 to 20 thousand, has good marketability, and European markets offer higher profit to people. They should be made to be associated with startups to take it forward.
@fagro.india
6264825553
Aman Agrawal
Email futureagronomists.aman@gmail.com
Phone 6264825553
Value addition through solar drying can add benefits to the agriculture sector. India, being an agricultural country, does well in producing agriculture produce like fruits and vegetables, grains, pulses. But it is a surprise why our farmers are not getting good profit out of it. IIRI reports that nearly 30 to 40% of our produce is getting wasted in our country. Hence there is an immediate need for preserving the quality of the produce and to convert them into value added and sustainable products that will come for a long time. There are lots of cold storages for long term benefits and usage of chemicals like sodium and copper fluoride for preserving the produce. But we have to look at a sustainable model of preservation. Here comes solar drying which is the best and most affordable model that we can adopt easily. A cold storage needs regular supply of electricity, we have to maintain the temperature for a longer period of time, and we have to keep the cold storage on for a long time.
But with solar dryers, we can solar dry the produce for a few days, and once the product is solar dried with moisture fully taken out, we can store the product for a few years too. We can make them into powder form and pack in air tight containers for repeated usage. It is different from any other method in that solar drying is a low energy method, and the source of energy we use is sun which is available in plenty in our country. But most of the European countries do not have this much of solar energy.
How is solar drying done and how it can add value to products? A good friend of mine started studying about solar drying model. He created a triangular panel which can be placed on the down side where we have to place the small pieces of vegetables and fruits like tomato on the permeable tray. Through that, water and other moisture can be removed due to gravitational force, and only the solid part remains. When we put it in trays in the solar dryer which has blades on both sides. A black film absorbs more heat, and that is how it is different from normal solar drying. In regular solar drying method, there is lot of humidity and moisture and pollution on the outer part. But in our system, there are compartments of …. Shape. We put the trays of fruits and vegetables on this model, and the ventilation chambers remove the humidity and moisture. The black films inside and the semi permeable layer takes moisture outside on a regular basis. If we put 100 kgs of fruits and vegetables for 7 to 8 days, it can be converted into dried form, and we can mix whatever we want. We can also convert the dried produce into powder form.
We have all the nutrients retained in the products. The water is taken out from the tomato powder, onion powder, or garlic powder for example. This product is easily transportable and sustainable for a year or two. We see that the tomato prices which used to be Rs. 10 to 25 sometime back have soared now. If we have used the products when they were available in plenty for solar drying and made them into powder, there will be no price rise, and we can get the products all through the year easily. It is a good business for the farmers too. We often see that the farmers do not get the good price for their product, and often there is shortage of the vegetables. The solar dryers can be built with Rs. 15 to 25 thousand for a one ton capacity, the produce can be ordered directly from the farmers. SHG and farmers can indulge in this business to add value. European market is fond of sundried products from India, especially the hotel Industry. For example, the tomato ketchup in India has 3 sundried powders – onion, tomato, and garlic. So with such ingredients added, we can get good business out of it. We can get in touch with the nearby agents, buy the vegetables and the required materials, and use the solar dryer to get value added products. We can easily sell them and get a good business out of it. We can save cost, and we can retain the fruits and vegetables for a longer time to be used in non-season. Normally tomato is sold at Rs. 10 to 15 per kg, and the sundried tomato powder is sold at Rs. 30 to 40 and even up to 60 in the market. The taste and nutrients are retained as in the normal produce except water to be used in gravies and curries.
How solar drying can help the farmers? Farmers who grow tomato may get about 25 quintals of tomato throughout the year in the season. If he sells in the mandi, during season it is sold at Rs. 10 to 12 per kg, but he will get maximum profit of Rs. 3 lakhs. But when he goes for solar drying, if he sells the tomato powder in non-season and rainy season when most of the crops are not in the harvesting stage, he can get Rs. 30 to 40 per kg and get Rs. 6 to 7 lakhs profit. If he is part of an FPO or some international business firm exporting to European market where prices are much high, he can work on selling solar dried powder than normal tomato. He can get nearly Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs from his own farm tomatoes. In traditional method, farmers harvest products and sell at mandis where the price is low, and earning capacity is low. But solar drying method can change the life of farmers and FPOs are doing it for their welfare. FPOs can definitely do the solar drying at their own place at a minimum cost of Rs. 15 to 20 thousand to build the chamber.
People may ask how it is different from the traditional solar drying method. In an open environment the produce gets contaminated by dirt, humidity, moisture, bacteria, fungus, and hands-on practices. We may not get good price, and we cannot be guaranteed that the nutritional value will remain. But in this machine, the external environment has no impact on the produce. The sealed black filament concentrate the solar energy, the crop gets equal amount of sunlight and energy. So it is better to sundry the products in this chamber. With the permeable layers, the sunrays are spread uniformly. That is how the solar dryer is useful. Small entrepreneurs and startups in urban areas can do it in the backyard or terrace.
What specific crops or produce can benefit from solar drying, and how does it enhance their market value?
Mostly any crop can be solar dried but have different time factors. The solar dried products are used in hotel and restaurants. Produces like apple, onion, tomato, garlic which have more moisture content and are perishable can be sundried. We can get better value added products through solar drying as the moisture level is reduced in such perishable crops. Cherries, apples, cashew-nut apples are a few fruits that are majorly sundried due their moisture content and perishable nature. Anything can be solar dried, time taken is different, and can be converted into powder like moringa.
Are there any government departments or programs that support the adoption of solar drying methods in agriculture?
There are many government programs that offer subsidies for the solar drying methods of the companies that are recognised by the government of India. They offer up to 50% subsidy for the solar drying machines. There is a solar program from Yojana that offers solar panels at subsidised price for the solar farms. We can apply for the subsidy for the electrical applications needed. There are many easy methods, and one of them is to get from a startup company which is selling solar drying machines recognised by the government. They would be offering subsidy for this.
What are some key considerations for Agri entrepreneurs looking to implement solar drying techniques in their business?
It is a very easy method, and people should not go for fruits and vegetables that are not available easily. People usually go for apples, but it may not be available in that area. So they have to buy from outside and solar dry, but it is expensive. We need to check for availability of the product, farmers should be able to supply. Next comes demand. In the area, the local saleability from people and industries eager to buy the products should be there. We should check if they know about the solar dried products or create awareness among them by doing market survey. When we go for European market, we should know which country looks for solar dried products from India. If there are lot of industries and restaurants that do not know about sun dried powder and use only traditional paste, we should contact them and check if the dried products are easily available. Then we can start the venture. 2 to 3 people are needed for slicing up the products. We should do marketing, and we should be clear about which part we want to work in, such as B2B or B2C or export.
How does solar drying compare to traditional drying methods in terms of cost effectiveness and efficiency?
When we do in traditional method, it is an open solar drying method where we put the products in an open area or terrace and dry for 15 days. We can never know about weather, moisture, contamination and dirt that will spoil the product. The Solar drying machine uses a closed chamber with ventilation chamber to continuously monitor air and temperature so that products are not contaminated. It is a better and more efficient way with no specific shelf life. This is cost effective too.
What are the essential requirements or equipment needed to set up a solar drying system?
It is a chamber with a few basic things like chamber that collects moisture, triangle panels, transparent glass panels and black filament to ensure the moisture and help the unit work better. They have a semi permeable tray which can be closed or opened at different times, such as night when we can keep it closed, it will not let moisture or ventilation, and to continuously pass the air. The solar dryer can be bought or assembled on your own.
Are there any specific training or educational programs available to learn about solar drying for agriculture value addition?
There are training programs arranged by ICAR for which we can apply online. There are also FPOs that train farmers. Companies are giving training to upcoming entrepreneurs, farmers, and there are startups that give good training. Rather than going for government training, we can go for a local startup that offers training. It is not difficult to do the training. There are two options – go with ICAR or startup to learn about solar drying process.
Can you tell us a success story of farmers or entrepreneurs who have implemented solar drying and achieved value addition?
My friend Varun Raheja created this device which is portable. Earlier solar dryers were not portable. He transferred the portable solar dryers to tribal areas and collaborated with the farmers, tribes and started producing different products with buy back facility offering good profit to them. Though he is from a non-agriculture background he made a good business, got recognition from the government of India too.
What are the potential challenges or limitations one may face when adopting solar drying techniques and how to overcome them?
To adopt solar drying, first things is to explore the market that is ready to buy the products. Lot of people are not aware of this, and there is a misconception that taste and nutrients are not retained. We need to disprove this misconception. People are also not aware of the availability of the machines or training part for this. We must make them aware that it is cost effective, can be started at a low investment of Rs. 15 to 20 thousand, has good marketability, and European markets offer higher profit to people. They should be made to be associated with startups to take it forward.
@fagro.india
6264825553
Aman Agrawal
Email futureagronomists.aman@gmail.com
Phone 6264825553