In most Indian countries, agriculture is that the engine of economic growth. However growing crops is just a part of the story when it comes to making money and feeding the family. What happens after food cultivation and harvest is simply as important. Profit is all regarding value addition –Processing your crops or livestock into one thing that matches a niche market.
One way to add value to agricultural manufacture is to dry it. With the correct equipment and information, manufacture can be sold locally or perhaps internationally for a decent value. However there’s a secret to good drying. It must be done effectively, thoroughly, and losing minimal vitamins that are so necessary in our food and that of our livestock.
A lot of the food that small-scale farmers grow will go to waste within the market because of surpluses at harvest time. Thus drying will be a very good method of food and nutrient preservation, additionally as the way of increasing value and ultimately profits. But drying fruits, vegetables, meat and fish isn’t without risk. In contrast to alternative food products, dried produce will be eaten raw. And since they’re raw, they are a source of food-borne infection. Thus hygiene at each stage – handling, drying, sorting and packaging – is critically necessary.
Some of the health and hygiene issues once getting ready and drying agricultural turn out area unit lined during this pack. Victimization poached water is very important once laundry foods before cutting and cookery them. You ought to check that that you just use separate areas for laundry raw turn out and cookery, as a result of germs will be simply transferred.
Sun drying
For centuries, sun drying has been a way of preserving and saving foods so that they can be eaten during times of scarcity. It is a cheap method of drying produce – sunlight is free and the only costs involve drying mats or platforms, and cutting equipment. But there are disadvantages too. The temperature of sunlight cannot be controlled, leading to over- or under-dried goods. The weather is not always sunny, and sometimes the drying process can take several days.
Solar drying
Another way of using the sun’s rays to dry food is solar drying. Instead of leaving produce in the heat to dry on its own, heat is trapped inside a box, and used to heat the produce enough to dry it, but not enough to cook it. Building a solar drier needs investment. Plastic sheets, wire mesh and wooden frames all need to be bought or found locally. But the technology is not expensive, and the value added to the produce could result in a good profit.
Pre-drying treatments
Before drying your produce, there are treatments that can be used to make the drying process more effective. Examples of natural ingredients used in pre-drying include soaking briefly in sugar or salt solution to reduce moisture content and prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi.
Preparing dried produce for export
There is a big international market for dried fruits and vegetables. But supermarkets have strict standards, which small-scale farmers often find too expensive to enforce, such as the European Retail Standards for Good Agricultural Practice, or EUREPGAP. Strict levels of hygiene, and accounting are important, so that those suppliers who buy dried products can see exactly how they were dried, sorted, and where they come from.
Selling dried products for sale locally
Any buyer or consumer will tell you that one of the most important things to consider when supplying to local markets, is local demand – what your customers want. This is especially true of dried produce, because while dried mango may be very popular in one area, for example, it may not be very popular in another area. If you cannot supply to local markets and you have already invested in solar drying technology, you may be disappointed. Before you grow or invest, do your research. When it comes to selling dried produce locally, you are in a better position than if you wanted to sell to export markets because you will have a good idea what people in your area like.
We at KERONE have a team of experts to help you with your need for Drying of agricultural produce in various products range from our wide experience. For any query write us at [email protected] or visit www.kerone.com