Dehydrated fruits and Vegetables are booming the market

Farmers are always worried about their produce and they want immediate money after harvesting. Because of this in season they sell the produce at throw away price. A little patience gives them profit; post harvest processing or dehydration of produce drives them not only to local but also to the international market.

India is the second highest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China. It produces 260 million MT fruits and vegetables per year and largest producer of mangoes, papayas, bananas, guavas, potatoes, green peas, tomatoes, cauliflower and cabbages. 

Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana estimated the waste of fruits and vegetables is up to 18% due to poor post harvest management practices. Because of high moisture content (above 80%) they are perishable. 40-50 % losses occur in tropical and subtropical region of developing countries due to lack of refrigeration and freezing facilities.

Commodity	Production (Mn MT)
Mango	18.1
Banana	29.1
Citrus	11.6
Papaya	5.7
Guava	4.0
Potato	43.4
Onion	20.9
Tomato	18.7
Brinjal	12.5
cabbage	8.8

A main target of food processing is to convert such perishable into stable products that can be stored for longer periods that can reduce losses and making them available in times of shortage and out of season and at place far away from the site of production.

Dehydration removes the moisture from the food so; fungus, bacteria and yeast cannot grow and spoil the food. Dehydration slows down the action of enzymes (Substances present in cell which cause food to ripen) but does not inactive and lighter in weight when food is ready for use the water is added back and the food return to its original.

In dried and preserved fruits and vegetables high returns are in export market. The export customers of these commodities are mostly hotel chains and ready to eat food manufacturers. India is expected to grow at CAGR of 16% by the year 2020. The global market for dehydrated fruits and vegetables registered the revenue worth US$54,241.9 Mn in 2017, which is likely to exceed US$ 90,636.0 Mn by the end of 2028.  

The support of agro-climatic conditions, potential domestic market, cost competitiveness and government support are some key factors which will drive the growth of the industry.

Dehydrated fruits and vegetable market is booming due to the improved technologies are used for their production. Technologies such as air drying, Vacuum drying and solar drying have resulted in possibilities of consuming fruits and vegetables for longer period of time when preserved in specified conditions.

Commodity	Major producing States	Processing opportunity
Mango	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana	Dehydration, Frozen and juices
Pineapple	Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Tripura
Grapes	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram
Banana	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
Citrus fruits	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab
Pomegranate	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh
onion	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat
Potato	Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat
Tomato	Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat
Green Peas	Utter Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab

In most of the metro cities people have no time to cook food  at time and hectic life style have forced consumer to opt for ready-to eat meals or ready-to-eat food items.

Dehydrated fruits and vegetables are healthy, tasty and affordable, which consumes less time for preparation.  There are many verities; consumers can eat food of their choice. Most of the employees living in major cities spend a significant amount of time working in an office and travelling, which makes it difficult for people to take out time for cooking.

Sharp rise in energy costs has promoted a dramatic upsurge in interest in drying worldwide over the last decade. Advances in techniques and development of novel drying methods have made available a wide range of dehydrated products, especially instantly reconstitution ingredients, from fruits and vegetables with properties that could not have been seen some year ago and the growth of fast foods have fueled the need for such ingredients.

Farmers should work smartly and update themselves according to the local and international markets. It’s our responsibility to make them aware and drag there produce to international market.