Processing and conserving fruits and vegetables
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Faridul Islam
Bangladesh produces good quantities of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. The production can not only meet the needs of the country entirely but also generate a surplus for export. Plus, there is the potential to produce and also to export a great deal more. When these favourable conditions are there for producing fruits and vegetables, it is noted that substantial quantities of fruits and vegetables actually rot away from a dearth of processing and preservation facilities. The rotted fruits and vegetables mean wasted resources for their producers ; the country is denied the benefits of their supplies or possible foreign exchange earnings from their export. One may cite here the example of large quantities of superior quality mangoes that are found at times perishing at Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj every year. Likewise, pineapples decay at Mandhpur which is less than a hundred kilometres away from the capital city. The hilly districts in the Chittagong areas specially incur losses from the rotting of pineapples and other fruits and vegetables. According to reports, fruits and vegetables in vast quantities produced in the south-western districts of Jhenaidah, Magura, Narail, Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur, face a similar fate. It was, thus, assessed that fruits produced in these areas that get spoiled include 35 per cent of tomatoes, 10 per cent of bananas, 15 per cent of water melon, 30 per cent of guava and 15 per cent of jackfruits. This situation heightens the need for establishing an adequate number of cold storages and processing plants in the fruit and vegetable growing areas. Only if refrigeration facilities become available which would be physically near to the growers and their services become available at reasonable costs, the producers will be seen taking more interest in saving their produces by using them than letting them to rot away. In the same way, pulping and canning facilities nearby will also check rotting while adding value to produces. Government, thus, should encourage the setting up of such preservation and processing facilities. Krishi Bank (Agricultural Bank) and other state-controlled banks can be instructed to make credits available on relatively easy terms and conditions among entrepreneurs to this end. The government's department of agricultural extension can also take the initiative to set up these facilities as a starter and to draw the attention of the private sector to their business potential. A number of export-oriented agro-industries have been doing path-breaking work in this direction. They have contracted with farmers to produce round the year with guaranteed stable price for their yields. Thus, the motivation of the farmers have remained strong as their earnings have become regular and ensured. More significantly, the farmers have been trained to produce quality products observing the latest health and safety factors. Secondly, the agro-industries have acquired good technologies in the areas of processing and packaging. This means not only substantial value-addition to the produces from the fields but also the creation of appeal for the processed and packed foods among not only Bangladeshi expatriates but also foreign consumers. Thus, from the growers' to the consumption stages, some producing and exporting houses in the counrty have been successful in building up value-chains that meet eminently the interests of all the parties involved at different stages. Private sector operators who intend to join the ranks of successful agro-industries with an export dimension, need to essentially copy the methods of the few firms which are there and which have been successful in exporting agro-products. But the new firms should try to do better than the older ones by trying to acquire even more sophisticated technologies, innovating with food products and in their packaging. In that case, their attraction will not be limited to only expatriate Bangladesh and they can expect to gain a wider market access among foreign consumers.
Bangladesh produces good quantities of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. The production can not only meet the needs of the country entirely but also generate a surplus for export. Plus, there is the potential to produce and also to export a great deal more. When these favourable conditions are there for producing fruits and vegetables, it is noted that substantial quantities of fruits and vegetables actually rot away from a dearth of processing and preservation facilities. The rotted fruits and vegetables mean wasted resources for their producers ; the country is denied the benefits of their supplies or possible foreign exchange earnings from their export. One may cite here the example of large quantities of superior quality mangoes that are found at times perishing at Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj every year. Likewise, pineapples decay at Mandhpur which is less than a hundred kilometres away from the capital city. The hilly districts in the Chittagong areas specially incur losses from the rotting of pineapples and other fruits and vegetables. According to reports, fruits and vegetables in vast quantities produced in the south-western districts of Jhenaidah, Magura, Narail, Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur, face a similar fate. It was, thus, assessed that fruits produced in these areas that get spoiled include 35 per cent of tomatoes, 10 per cent of bananas, 15 per cent of water melon, 30 per cent of guava and 15 per cent of jackfruits. This situation heightens the need for establishing an adequate number of cold storages and processing plants in the fruit and vegetable growing areas. Only if refrigeration facilities become available which would be physically near to the growers and their services become available at reasonable costs, the producers will be seen taking more interest in saving their produces by using them than letting them to rot away. In the same way, pulping and canning facilities nearby will also check rotting while adding value to produces. Government, thus, should encourage the setting up of such preservation and processing facilities. Krishi Bank (Agricultural Bank) and other state-controlled banks can be instructed to make credits available on relatively easy terms and conditions among entrepreneurs to this end. The government's department of agricultural extension can also take the initiative to set up these facilities as a starter and to draw the attention of the private sector to their business potential. A number of export-oriented agro-industries have been doing path-breaking work in this direction. They have contracted with farmers to produce round the year with guaranteed stable price for their yields. Thus, the motivation of the farmers have remained strong as their earnings have become regular and ensured. More significantly, the farmers have been trained to produce quality products observing the latest health and safety factors. Secondly, the agro-industries have acquired good technologies in the areas of processing and packaging. This means not only substantial value-addition to the produces from the fields but also the creation of appeal for the processed and packed foods among not only Bangladeshi expatriates but also foreign consumers. Thus, from the growers' to the consumption stages, some producing and exporting houses in the counrty have been successful in building up value-chains that meet eminently the interests of all the parties involved at different stages. Private sector operators who intend to join the ranks of successful agro-industries with an export dimension, need to essentially copy the methods of the few firms which are there and which have been successful in exporting agro-products. But the new firms should try to do better than the older ones by trying to acquire even more sophisticated technologies, innovating with food products and in their packaging. In that case, their attraction will not be limited to only expatriate Bangladesh and they can expect to gain a wider market access among foreign consumers.