Varun Raheja
Simple ways to reduce post-harvest losses
Varun Raheja, Founder & Director of Raheja Solar Food Processing Private Limited, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, highlights that post-harvest losses pose a major challenge for farmers and Agri-entrepreneurs. A large amount of produce is lost due to improper handling, storage, and transport. By adopting simple practices, these losses can be reduced significantly. Varun Raheja has given some practical ways to protect crops after harvest.
We’re going to discuss reducing post-harvest losses, and some practical insights for farmers and agriculture entrepreneurs—why post-harvest losses happen and how addressing them can really benefit farmers and the new generation of rural entrepreneurs coming from villages with ideas to start their own start-ups. At the centre of this discussion is the lived experience of farmers and the structural challenges they face.
So basically, being a social entrepreneur, the reason why I’m working in post-harvest is that there’s a long history behind it. This work did not begin as a business iea but as a response to repeated observations on the ground. I did three years of research on farmer societies, where I was just trying to figure out why the next generation—like the existing farmer generation—doesn’t want their kids to become farmers. Basically, today’s farmers don’t want their children to come into the agriculture sector. This pattern appeared consistently across regions and communities.
I found that really disturbing because when I was studying engineering, out of 60 students in my class, about 30 had fathers who were farmers. So half of the class had farmer dads. When I used to visit their farms, they used to say that even if their sons got a job paying ₹8,000, it would still be fine, better than farming again. And I asked them with great surprise, when they had 30–40 bighas of land, like 30–40 acres, why they were saying that. They were well-to-do, but still, they didn’t want their son to get into agriculture. This disconnect between land ownership and livelihood security was striking.
Fragile farming economics
I felt that it was disturbing—why is this happening? When I did on-ground research, I realised the challenge is even bigger because right now, agriculture is so uncertain. We can’t predict anything. Weather patterns, prices, demand, and policy changes all add layers of risk. The worst part about agriculture is that everyone except the farmers is a trader. Someone buys at ₹10 and sells at ₹12; then another buys at ₹12 and sells at ₹15; another buys at ₹15 and sells at ₹20. That’s how the whole agricultural ecosystem works.
A fresh harvest is produced, and from that point on, everyone—up to 12 different people involved—is a trader. They all take their own margin, and that’s how the product reaches the consumer. Each additional step reduces the farmer’s share. Everyone makes a profit, but the ones who put in six months of hard work for the entire year—the farmers—aren’t profitable enough, and sometimes they end up losing out the most. Mostly, they’re losing money. The reason is that when farmers harvest their crops, after putting in six months or even a whole year of hard work, at the end of the harvest, they don’t even know if their investment of ₹10 will get them ₹20, ₹15, ₹10, or nothing at all. It’s a big gamble, a total risk. This uncertainty drives many families away from farming.
Agriculture’s untapped future
I saw that first-hand, and that’s why I felt really close to those farmers and completely agreed that this isn’t sustainable. At the same time, agriculture definitely has a future. The contradiction lies in the system, not in the sector itself. Because this is a sector where more and more people are stepping out, the future opportunities here would be much higher. We need to find ways to increase farmers’ income while also building something that’s the future of the world.
The biggest future we’ve seen across the entire agriculture and food supply chain is that the next generation of food is all about convenience. Consumer behaviour is shifting rapidly, and food systems are adapting to it. Open the packet and eat. Open the packet and just put it in hot water—the product is ready. Open the packet, it’s a powder. Mix it, and your meal is ready. These formats dominate modern food consumption. Restaurant owners no longer cut garlic in the morning at dhabas. They use garlic powder because it’s convenient—no peeling, no hassle. This everyday example reflects a larger transformation in food preparation.
That’s the future we saw, and that’s why it became clear that the future is all about convenience in food. Right now, adding value means making things convenient, which is the whole big deal. Factories are doing all the big stuff like convenience and packaging, not the farmers. Farmers remain stuck at the raw-produce stage, missing out on higher-value opportunities. And that’s where the story of Raheja Solar begins, rooted in this exact gap between production and value creation.
Stability through innovation
Raheja Solar actually started eight years ago when we analysed a huge problem in India, which was food waste. The evidence was visible across the country. You must have seen in Kashmir last month that apples were being thrown away. In Manipur, pineapples were being thrown out. During mango season, mangoes were being wasted. These losses are repeated every year. Indian farmers are throwing away their produce because there’s no proper market, and the shelf life isn’t long—they get about seven days to sell their products. Time pressure becomes a tool for exploitation. That’s why traders take advantage, holding on to the produce for six or seven days and then offering really low prices on the seventh day. Farmers are left with no bargaining power.
The infrastructure just isn’t there to support the innovations coming in. The machinery available is for large-scale processing. Nobody wants to make small-scale machines—machines for small farmers who are the most exploited people in the agricultural chain. At the same time, every year about ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of produce is wasted in India, while there’s a ₹2 lakh crore market for dried products like instant meals, instant soups, and instant noodles. Instant tea is available. You pour water into noodles, and they’re ready. The whole market is worth ₹2 lakh crore. Our farmers are selling produce worth ₹1.5 lakh crore. The mismatch is clear.
The biggest inspiration we saw was the Amul model. What Amul has done with milk over the last 30–40 years is provide income stability to farmers. If any small farmer produces milk and the local dairy doesn’t give a good price, Amul steps in. They have fixed rates and very good rates, so their farmers have stability in their income. Eighty per cent of their revenue goes back to the farmers, and 20 per cent is churned and reinvested. The whole business is like a social enterprise. That philosophy shaped our approach.
Empowering small farmers
Raheja Solar started with the mission to design machines only for small farmers. We’re not making big, large-scale automatic machines for big farmers or big traders. Even if such machines are innovative, they often reinforce unfair buying practices. That’s where we come in—we design technology specifically for small farmers. We build a business model around it that provides end-to-end support—from the technology itself all the way to the market. Our mission is to empower small farmers by cutting down their post-harvest losses using innovative tools, knowledge sharing, and market linkage support.
We’re not going to create an overly complicated machine. We’re only going to make a machine that can work even in the most remote villages. Even if there’s no electricity, it will still work perfectly. These are the areas where the best produce often comes from, yet where most wastage occurs. Farmers near cities are more successful because of access. Those faraway farmers, though they have land, face transport costs that reduce their returns.
Whatever we do, we test it for one to three years first. We validate it and then go to the market. We don’t just give farmers the machine directly. We design it, use it ourselves first, and then show farmers how to use it. To prevent farmers from competing against each other, we create a centralised market. This keeps pricing stable and reduces trader manipulation.
Solar drying isn’t a new concept. But traditional sun drying no longer meets food safety norms. Dust, dirt, insects, and contamination make products unacceptable for premium markets and exports. Our solar dryers are enclosed systems that control temperature and humidity. You can even dry watermelon and remove up to 95% moisture. Sensors and IoT technology notify farmers when the product is ready, removing the need for constant checking.
We work through a hub-and-spoke model. Rural entrepreneurs set up dryers and buy produce from nearby farmers at fixed minimum prices. They process the produce and send it to hubs, where sorting, grading, training, and additional drying take place. From there, products move to collection centres in Indore, Nashik, Vijayawada, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Dryer costs range from ₹25,000 to around ₹3.5 lakh. On average, farmers can earn profits of around ₹30,000 per month and recover their investment within 15 months. We focus on small, misshapen, or overripe produce that has little market value but strong potential after processing. Over the last eight years, we have worked with over 100,000 farmers, increased incomes by 30%, created more than 5,000 jobs, and supported over 1,000 micro-entrepreneurs. More than 4,000 of these jobs are held by women. By reducing waste, we are also protecting the environment and building a sustainable future for agriculture. There are a few schemes from the Central and state governments. Under the PMFME scheme, farmers can get a 35% subsidy on food processing setups like solar dryers.
Q&A with Varun Raheha on how we can effectively solve the various challenges:
Post-harvest challenges
The low shelf life of the product is the main reason. If we can't sell within that period, we lose. The infrastructure is the next reason for the loss. When we transport the produce to a city from the village to get a good price, we cannot go directly, as the transportation cost is high. We have to sell it through a trader who does not give even the minimum support price and offers only low rates. All these reasons make farmers not do harvesting properly. The next one is mainly for small farmers who face these issues more. There is no ecosystem for them. People are eying the latest machines, which are very expensive for the small farmers. There are also no proper market linkages. The organically grown products do not get the right market and reach the customers in time. It takes at least 7 to 10 days to reach the customer from the village. So the market link is not direct. Only in very few places do farmers get a good price for organic products. Farmers are exploited. It is going to take time to build infrastructure for food processing.
Preserving farm produce
Getting cold chambers is the best technique. A lot of innovations are coming up in this sector. This can preserve the produce for more than 15 days. A vegetable cooler keeps the produce fresh for up to 15 days without electricity, and we need to use only water to store it. Food processing is also very useful as it adds more value to the produce. These two things should be part of any farm, and farmers need some backup. We must find some basic ways to store the products better and at an affordable price. Solar drying can also prevent spoilage of the products. It increases the shelf life to one year. For example, when the tomato is dried in the sun, it can last for one year. The farmers can sell it the whole year using these storage and preservative methods. Drying is the best way to increase the shelf life. Making pulp and storing it is another way. Freezing, using salt, and pasteurisation methods can increase the shelf life. When we boil the pulp, it can be stored for a long time. It does not need sugar to preserve, as done in the case of Aam papad.
Practical storage solutions
Farmers can use crates for fresh products like carrots or bean bags to store and transport. Since the transportation losses are high, it makes a huge cut in the farmers’ income. When we dry chilli or lentils and keep them in closed containers, it can also be done for other products by storing them in airtight poly bags or containers without any preservatives. There will not be any need for cold storage. The area should be dry without any loopholes for moisture to get in.
Transportation for fresh produce
Using crates is very important. Next, we should know when the produce is ripe enough to transport. The third one is to have good market linkages and connections with nearby regions. Transportation should be quick enough to reach the market with a proper understanding. We should not pile up the products one on top of the other. For example, bananas should be handled gently, which even food processing companies fail to notice while preserving them. The new fruit vendors keep bananas upside down, and due to the gravity and weight, the banana gets spoiled faster. The traditional vendors correctly keep them with the stem and bottom properly placed. The next generation should know more about getting more margins, rates, quality, and value addition options. We have to wait for the right market to get good returns. The Government of India gives lots of subsidies for greenhouses, but not all of them are successful. Farmers need training to make full use of them. It takes effort to make proper use of it, to sell products throughout the year, learn the techniques, and then it becomes easy. Using IoT, the farmers can learn better and more quickly.
Role of FPOs
We need to work on how to extend the shelf life of the products. The FPOs can quickly inform the farmers about it. It is a major responsibility of the FPOs now to do value addition to get better margins and to establish market linkage, reaching the right customer, etc. This can be achieved only when the FPOs get the products that the customers want by doing research. Nowadays, restaurants do not peel garlic; they use garlic powder. So we can do some ground work on this aspect and come up with products that the customers need.
Managing storage and movement
The storage places play a vital role. We should take care not to transport the products to very distant places to get higher prices. We have to look for markets within a short radius. Farmers do not worry about wastage and assume it is common. But such waste can also be avoided with good techniques and processing. If they do not take into consideration the percentage of wastage, they will lose a lot of product. We should never get into the habit of following other farmers and growing the same product at the same time. This will lead to a glut in the market and lower prices.
Contact details
Varun Raheja,
Founder & Director, Raheja Solar Food Processing Private Limited, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
M: 90390 22866
E: business@rsfp.in
Simple ways to reduce post-harvest losses
Varun Raheja, Founder & Director of Raheja Solar Food Processing Private Limited, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, highlights that post-harvest losses pose a major challenge for farmers and Agri-entrepreneurs. A large amount of produce is lost due to improper handling, storage, and transport. By adopting simple practices, these losses can be reduced significantly. Varun Raheja has given some practical ways to protect crops after harvest.
We’re going to discuss reducing post-harvest losses, and some practical insights for farmers and agriculture entrepreneurs—why post-harvest losses happen and how addressing them can really benefit farmers and the new generation of rural entrepreneurs coming from villages with ideas to start their own start-ups. At the centre of this discussion is the lived experience of farmers and the structural challenges they face.
So basically, being a social entrepreneur, the reason why I’m working in post-harvest is that there’s a long history behind it. This work did not begin as a business iea but as a response to repeated observations on the ground. I did three years of research on farmer societies, where I was just trying to figure out why the next generation—like the existing farmer generation—doesn’t want their kids to become farmers. Basically, today’s farmers don’t want their children to come into the agriculture sector. This pattern appeared consistently across regions and communities.
I found that really disturbing because when I was studying engineering, out of 60 students in my class, about 30 had fathers who were farmers. So half of the class had farmer dads. When I used to visit their farms, they used to say that even if their sons got a job paying ₹8,000, it would still be fine, better than farming again. And I asked them with great surprise, when they had 30–40 bighas of land, like 30–40 acres, why they were saying that. They were well-to-do, but still, they didn’t want their son to get into agriculture. This disconnect between land ownership and livelihood security was striking.
Fragile farming economics
I felt that it was disturbing—why is this happening? When I did on-ground research, I realised the challenge is even bigger because right now, agriculture is so uncertain. We can’t predict anything. Weather patterns, prices, demand, and policy changes all add layers of risk. The worst part about agriculture is that everyone except the farmers is a trader. Someone buys at ₹10 and sells at ₹12; then another buys at ₹12 and sells at ₹15; another buys at ₹15 and sells at ₹20. That’s how the whole agricultural ecosystem works.
A fresh harvest is produced, and from that point on, everyone—up to 12 different people involved—is a trader. They all take their own margin, and that’s how the product reaches the consumer. Each additional step reduces the farmer’s share. Everyone makes a profit, but the ones who put in six months of hard work for the entire year—the farmers—aren’t profitable enough, and sometimes they end up losing out the most. Mostly, they’re losing money. The reason is that when farmers harvest their crops, after putting in six months or even a whole year of hard work, at the end of the harvest, they don’t even know if their investment of ₹10 will get them ₹20, ₹15, ₹10, or nothing at all. It’s a big gamble, a total risk. This uncertainty drives many families away from farming.
Agriculture’s untapped future
I saw that first-hand, and that’s why I felt really close to those farmers and completely agreed that this isn’t sustainable. At the same time, agriculture definitely has a future. The contradiction lies in the system, not in the sector itself. Because this is a sector where more and more people are stepping out, the future opportunities here would be much higher. We need to find ways to increase farmers’ income while also building something that’s the future of the world.
The biggest future we’ve seen across the entire agriculture and food supply chain is that the next generation of food is all about convenience. Consumer behaviour is shifting rapidly, and food systems are adapting to it. Open the packet and eat. Open the packet and just put it in hot water—the product is ready. Open the packet, it’s a powder. Mix it, and your meal is ready. These formats dominate modern food consumption. Restaurant owners no longer cut garlic in the morning at dhabas. They use garlic powder because it’s convenient—no peeling, no hassle. This everyday example reflects a larger transformation in food preparation.
That’s the future we saw, and that’s why it became clear that the future is all about convenience in food. Right now, adding value means making things convenient, which is the whole big deal. Factories are doing all the big stuff like convenience and packaging, not the farmers. Farmers remain stuck at the raw-produce stage, missing out on higher-value opportunities. And that’s where the story of Raheja Solar begins, rooted in this exact gap between production and value creation.
Stability through innovation
Raheja Solar actually started eight years ago when we analysed a huge problem in India, which was food waste. The evidence was visible across the country. You must have seen in Kashmir last month that apples were being thrown away. In Manipur, pineapples were being thrown out. During mango season, mangoes were being wasted. These losses are repeated every year. Indian farmers are throwing away their produce because there’s no proper market, and the shelf life isn’t long—they get about seven days to sell their products. Time pressure becomes a tool for exploitation. That’s why traders take advantage, holding on to the produce for six or seven days and then offering really low prices on the seventh day. Farmers are left with no bargaining power.
The infrastructure just isn’t there to support the innovations coming in. The machinery available is for large-scale processing. Nobody wants to make small-scale machines—machines for small farmers who are the most exploited people in the agricultural chain. At the same time, every year about ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of produce is wasted in India, while there’s a ₹2 lakh crore market for dried products like instant meals, instant soups, and instant noodles. Instant tea is available. You pour water into noodles, and they’re ready. The whole market is worth ₹2 lakh crore. Our farmers are selling produce worth ₹1.5 lakh crore. The mismatch is clear.
The biggest inspiration we saw was the Amul model. What Amul has done with milk over the last 30–40 years is provide income stability to farmers. If any small farmer produces milk and the local dairy doesn’t give a good price, Amul steps in. They have fixed rates and very good rates, so their farmers have stability in their income. Eighty per cent of their revenue goes back to the farmers, and 20 per cent is churned and reinvested. The whole business is like a social enterprise. That philosophy shaped our approach.
Empowering small farmers
Raheja Solar started with the mission to design machines only for small farmers. We’re not making big, large-scale automatic machines for big farmers or big traders. Even if such machines are innovative, they often reinforce unfair buying practices. That’s where we come in—we design technology specifically for small farmers. We build a business model around it that provides end-to-end support—from the technology itself all the way to the market. Our mission is to empower small farmers by cutting down their post-harvest losses using innovative tools, knowledge sharing, and market linkage support.
We’re not going to create an overly complicated machine. We’re only going to make a machine that can work even in the most remote villages. Even if there’s no electricity, it will still work perfectly. These are the areas where the best produce often comes from, yet where most wastage occurs. Farmers near cities are more successful because of access. Those faraway farmers, though they have land, face transport costs that reduce their returns.
Whatever we do, we test it for one to three years first. We validate it and then go to the market. We don’t just give farmers the machine directly. We design it, use it ourselves first, and then show farmers how to use it. To prevent farmers from competing against each other, we create a centralised market. This keeps pricing stable and reduces trader manipulation.
Solar drying isn’t a new concept. But traditional sun drying no longer meets food safety norms. Dust, dirt, insects, and contamination make products unacceptable for premium markets and exports. Our solar dryers are enclosed systems that control temperature and humidity. You can even dry watermelon and remove up to 95% moisture. Sensors and IoT technology notify farmers when the product is ready, removing the need for constant checking.
We work through a hub-and-spoke model. Rural entrepreneurs set up dryers and buy produce from nearby farmers at fixed minimum prices. They process the produce and send it to hubs, where sorting, grading, training, and additional drying take place. From there, products move to collection centres in Indore, Nashik, Vijayawada, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Dryer costs range from ₹25,000 to around ₹3.5 lakh. On average, farmers can earn profits of around ₹30,000 per month and recover their investment within 15 months. We focus on small, misshapen, or overripe produce that has little market value but strong potential after processing. Over the last eight years, we have worked with over 100,000 farmers, increased incomes by 30%, created more than 5,000 jobs, and supported over 1,000 micro-entrepreneurs. More than 4,000 of these jobs are held by women. By reducing waste, we are also protecting the environment and building a sustainable future for agriculture. There are a few schemes from the Central and state governments. Under the PMFME scheme, farmers can get a 35% subsidy on food processing setups like solar dryers.
Q&A with Varun Raheha on how we can effectively solve the various challenges:
Post-harvest challenges
The low shelf life of the product is the main reason. If we can't sell within that period, we lose. The infrastructure is the next reason for the loss. When we transport the produce to a city from the village to get a good price, we cannot go directly, as the transportation cost is high. We have to sell it through a trader who does not give even the minimum support price and offers only low rates. All these reasons make farmers not do harvesting properly. The next one is mainly for small farmers who face these issues more. There is no ecosystem for them. People are eying the latest machines, which are very expensive for the small farmers. There are also no proper market linkages. The organically grown products do not get the right market and reach the customers in time. It takes at least 7 to 10 days to reach the customer from the village. So the market link is not direct. Only in very few places do farmers get a good price for organic products. Farmers are exploited. It is going to take time to build infrastructure for food processing.
Preserving farm produce
Getting cold chambers is the best technique. A lot of innovations are coming up in this sector. This can preserve the produce for more than 15 days. A vegetable cooler keeps the produce fresh for up to 15 days without electricity, and we need to use only water to store it. Food processing is also very useful as it adds more value to the produce. These two things should be part of any farm, and farmers need some backup. We must find some basic ways to store the products better and at an affordable price. Solar drying can also prevent spoilage of the products. It increases the shelf life to one year. For example, when the tomato is dried in the sun, it can last for one year. The farmers can sell it the whole year using these storage and preservative methods. Drying is the best way to increase the shelf life. Making pulp and storing it is another way. Freezing, using salt, and pasteurisation methods can increase the shelf life. When we boil the pulp, it can be stored for a long time. It does not need sugar to preserve, as done in the case of Aam papad.
Practical storage solutions
Farmers can use crates for fresh products like carrots or bean bags to store and transport. Since the transportation losses are high, it makes a huge cut in the farmers’ income. When we dry chilli or lentils and keep them in closed containers, it can also be done for other products by storing them in airtight poly bags or containers without any preservatives. There will not be any need for cold storage. The area should be dry without any loopholes for moisture to get in.
Transportation for fresh produce
Using crates is very important. Next, we should know when the produce is ripe enough to transport. The third one is to have good market linkages and connections with nearby regions. Transportation should be quick enough to reach the market with a proper understanding. We should not pile up the products one on top of the other. For example, bananas should be handled gently, which even food processing companies fail to notice while preserving them. The new fruit vendors keep bananas upside down, and due to the gravity and weight, the banana gets spoiled faster. The traditional vendors correctly keep them with the stem and bottom properly placed. The next generation should know more about getting more margins, rates, quality, and value addition options. We have to wait for the right market to get good returns. The Government of India gives lots of subsidies for greenhouses, but not all of them are successful. Farmers need training to make full use of them. It takes effort to make proper use of it, to sell products throughout the year, learn the techniques, and then it becomes easy. Using IoT, the farmers can learn better and more quickly.
Role of FPOs
We need to work on how to extend the shelf life of the products. The FPOs can quickly inform the farmers about it. It is a major responsibility of the FPOs now to do value addition to get better margins and to establish market linkage, reaching the right customer, etc. This can be achieved only when the FPOs get the products that the customers want by doing research. Nowadays, restaurants do not peel garlic; they use garlic powder. So we can do some ground work on this aspect and come up with products that the customers need.
Managing storage and movement
The storage places play a vital role. We should take care not to transport the products to very distant places to get higher prices. We have to look for markets within a short radius. Farmers do not worry about wastage and assume it is common. But such waste can also be avoided with good techniques and processing. If they do not take into consideration the percentage of wastage, they will lose a lot of product. We should never get into the habit of following other farmers and growing the same product at the same time. This will lead to a glut in the market and lower prices.
Contact details
Varun Raheja,
Founder & Director, Raheja Solar Food Processing Private Limited, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
M: 90390 22866
E: business@rsfp.in