1. Sowing Prosperity: Boosting
Agricultural Productivity
Team Details:
Prabal Sabarwal
Gaurav Gupta
Anay Badavane
M Prasanna
Ankit Nama

2. Indian Agriculture Scenario
STRENGTHS
• Rich Bio-diversity
• Arable land
• Climate
• Strong and well dispersed
research and extension
system
OPPORTUNITIES
• Bridgeable yield crops
• Exports
• Agro-based Industry
• Horticulture
• Untapped potential in the
N.E.
WEAKNESS
• Fragmentation of land
• Low Technology Inputs
• Unsustainable Water
Management
• Poor Infrastructure
• Low value addition
THREATS
• Unsustainable Resource Use
• Unsustainable Regional
Development
• Imports

3. Agricultural and Food Waste
Generation Overview!
 Around 180 million MT of fruits, vegetables and perishables (food
stuffs),are produced per year in India
 However, storage capacity exists only for 23.6 million MT in 5,386
cold storages across the country, of which, 80 per cent is used
only for potatoes.
 Around 25 to 30 % of fruits and vegetables and 5 to 7 per cent of
food grains in India get wasted
 Estimated production of fruits and vegetables in India is 150
million tones and the total waste generated is 50 million tones
(30%) per annum
 Drying in general is a fairly common practice in many
areas, but it is typically done by spreading out the crop
on the ground. This method has many problems such as
spoilage due to rain, wind, dust, insects, etc.

4. Proposed Solution
 Installation of Solar Dryers and metal
silos in villages to cut down post harvest
losses.
 Solar dryers are devices that use solar
energy to dry substances, especially
food. These can be coupled with metal
silos which can be used to store the
dried grains.
 In addition solar dryers help process
meat, fruit, and vegetables that would
otherwise rot quickly. Solar dryers dry
food in a clean, hygienic environment
that reduces space and labour.
 Dryers will reduce the need for
complex storage by making food last
longer.

5. Advantages
 They increase food safety by removing the water content so that
bacteria and bugs cannot contaminate it as readily
 They will also enable farmers or other people to create value-
added goods (such as fruit bars or jerky) that are easier to transport
and are export quality, thereby increasing their incomes.
 The major objective of storing food is to ensure local food security.
 Grain storage on small farms is a form of saving that can later
increase farmers’ incomes. It helps stabilize the crop’s market
price.
 If farmers can store their goods, they can sell them over a longer
period of time, reducing the cycles of surplus and scarcity
connected to the seasons.
 solar dryers were particularly attractive because they can be used
with all types of food (grain, fruit, vegetables, meat, and even cash
crops) and they do not require extra energy from an engine or
battery.

6. Implementation
 Solar dryers dry food in a clean, hygienic environment that
reduces space and labor. They require very little labor
(about one hour a day or less) and yet can greatly
increase the amount of high-quality food available. The
women can put in a load to dry and then go about their
other tasks, so it is ideal for rural workers who have many
tasks.
 Metal silos can be constructed locally, similar to water
tanks. Sheet metal and other materials needed for
construction should be provided and subsidized by
government agencies or the local private sector. Solar
dryers require very little infrastructure beyond the cost of
the dryer, and can be beneficial to farms of any size.India is
a promising place for these, as it could be used at least 250
days of the year

7. Implementation
 The plan is to introduce the storage facilities to
farmer cooperatives instead of individual farmers.
 Each cooperative will own solar dryers and silos
that will be shared among its members. This way, it
becomes easier to purchase the units because
the farmers pool their resources.
 With more labor and raw crops available, they
can be used at their full capacity, thus generating
the most income as opposed to a family who
might only use them a few times a week.
 Each cooperative should have greater access to
both needed capital and markets and thereby
increase the efficiency of each solar dryer or silo

8. Organizational structure
required
 The solution to food storage needs to be a bottom up
approach. An organization responsible for implementing
these measures needs to be created.
 Communities need to be identified where the people have
access to fresh food that is currently wasted and who are
willing to put in the time to store it properly .
 An group in this organization needs to created to actively
promote the storage technology, provide the education
necessary, as well as help with financing. This group could
be local or a central NGO or government agency. A major
task of this group will be an in-depth study in each region
they want to implement these in to determine what the
local crops are, what the market value for the crops are,
and how large a dryer can be effectively used by the
available people.

9. Organizational structure
required
 A new organization would need
to be set up to coordinate
funding sources with the
companies producing storage
systems with the farmers or
cooperatives in need.
 A large fund might be needed to
partially subsidize costs to make it
easier for farmers to pay back the
loan. This could come from a
wide number of organizations like
the World Bank, IMF, a NGO or
charity organization. The amount
needed depends on the area
and what funds the farmers
typically have available as well
and their ability to pay off the
loan.
Main Organisation
Credit
Management
Surveying and
Information
Dissemination

10. Cost of the installations
 The cost of a solar dryer of 50 kg capacity
ranges form about Rs 30 000 to Rs 50 000.
 Solar dryers last longer. A typical dryer can
last 15-20 years with minimum maintenance.
 A 500-kilogram metal silo costs between Rs
4,000 and Rs 10,000 initially and very little to
maintain .
 Generally silos lasts about 20 years, and a
well-maintained one can last up to 30 years

11. Possible Constraints
 It might take a while to generate interest depending on the
culture and how much education is available in that
region.
 The wastage of food is partly due to farmer’s priorities. They
may not see storage as a beneficial investment with their
limited funds and will not be looking for innovative ways to
process food.
 Farmers’ attitudes to storage and the long term value of
the investment in capital can be a constraint.
 Rural farmers have very little money to spend are often
heavily in debt and cannot invest in storage systems.
 Drying can be performed only during sunny days, unless the
system is integrated with a conventional energy-based
system.

12. References:
 http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1838e/t1838e00.htm
 https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/140cba
4407ff2ed2
 http://www.indg.in/rural-energy/technologies-
under-rural-energy/solar-drying-systems
 http://agricoop.nic.in/dacdivision/machinery1/ch
ap8.pdf
 http://business.mapsofindia.com/india-
gdp/sectorwise/agriculture-growth-rate.html
 http://www.jstor.org/stable/41370385?seq=1&