The cycle of agriculture is tedious and requires a lot of hard work. What if the resultant yield does not make the required profit? Yes, most of the time 16% of yield is wasted due to lack of storage facilities, costly transportation and lack of proper marketing, stated as per the Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology. Many a time farmers discard the excess yield which cannot be preserved after its shelf life.
A mechanical engineer by qualification, Varun Raheja 22-year-old, is a passionate human being and worked really hard towards his goal to convert waste to wealth. During his college days, he noticed that almost half of the students belonged to agriculture family and it struck him with the reality that “no farmer wants his son to be a farmer” and if that is the case, who will in future produce food for our country. "The quest to convert waste to wealth and to help the farmers were the two major areas I started concentrating on and the result was Solar Dryer", says Varun Raheja, Founder, Raheha Solar Food Processing.
The conception of Solar Dryer
During his first year of graduation, Varun started experimenting with various methods to reuse and recycle waste along with converting home waste into compost. And to develop his research further he did his internship for three years under Padma Shri Janak Palta McGilligan at Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development. Padma Shri Janak was a tough critic and she made a point to make Varun excel in his work no matter how small it was. He was exposed to the problems related to farmers at ground level and therefore he was in the search of a technology which can solve farmer’s woes. He worked on three waste-to-wealth projects during his internship and one of them was the solar dryer, a technology developed by the German Scientists.
"I felt really lucky and grateful that I got once in a lifetime opportunity to work under Padma Shri Janak Palta”.
Among all the projects Varun chose to work ahead in developing a solar dryer which can reduce a few roadblocks of farmers. The solar dryer was an effective and economical way to dry the yield. The concept of preserving the agricultural products is not new and the solar tunnel dryer which was initially invented in Germany is now available in the Indian market as well. Then, what did Varun does to make his invention unique? The answer is his invention is much cheaper than its competitor and easily foldable to carry around. Farmers can now sell their dried products and at the same time, they can store it for their own use throughout the year.
Working principle of Solar Dryer
The solar dryer works on the principle of the greenhouse effect. The basic function of a solar dryer is to heat air to a constant temperature with solar energy, which facilitates extraction of humidity from crops inside a drying chamber. Ventilation is enabled at a constant rate through defined air inlets and outlets.
The process of solar drying decreases the drying time significantly and ward off the risk of spoilage. For example, tomatoes take a weeks’ time to dry in open but with solar dryer, the process can be completed in a couple of days. The solar dryer is a self-sustainable model and does not require electricity or maintenance. Further to eliminate harmful gases Varun has introduced stainless steel mesh to dry food products instead of plastic mesh which easily emits harmful gases at a higher temperature. And the enclosure provides waterproof and dustproof results. The unit is comparatively cheaper and due to its portable design, Varun managed to reduce the transportation cost by half as well.
Commercializing Solar Dryer
The commercial solar dryer was introduced to market two years back under the name of RSFP (Raheja Solar Food Processing) and Varun made sure to contact every source to reach the market, and yes he has till now sold out over 60 units across India. But the major constraint remains the funding. He was supported by his family and later he himself managed to roll out finance for his research through his business. The investment towards agriculture activities are still limited, few people did appreciate the idea but as far as investment was concerned, nobody came forward. Recently the Government has started a few programs to support agriculture. Varun received Dr. SHIRIN GADHIA SUSTAINABILITY AWARD 2018 accredited by Eco Center ICNEER for is innovative work in developing Solar dryer on the welfare of farmers.
Varun had recently participated in ARISE 2019: A Launchpad for Agri-Startups is an initiative of Pusa Krishi Incubator powered by RKVY-RAFTAAR Scheme of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India. It is a uniquely designed incubation program specifically for early-stage agri-startups, with an aim to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of agribusiness and allied sectors.
Recently Varun visited Manipur to help the tribals for their agriculture yield of Manipuri Chillies (hottest chillies) and educated them about preservation and market reach.
Removing Waste & Support Farmers
The dream to remove waste from the earth and to support farmers together has helped Varun to come up with solar dryer. He is really doing good in the field on his own, and he is working on a collaboration with people, institutions, and government to reach the rural areas and train them in the field of solar dryers so that farmers can understand the benefits. He is also supporting farmers who purchase solar dryer to find a market for their dried yields, therefore making it a complete cycle.
The model has inspired many, whether it is a farmer or a family. The solar dryer is helping more than 50 people most of them being farmers to avoid wastage of their yield, earn a better income and keeping the nutrition intact. The model also helps increase the shelf life of the food products to a minimum of six months by eliminating the moisture content from fruits, plants, flowers, and vegetables.
"No one can achieve his passion by sitting at one place, it is a hit and trial method, you have to make sure you have tried enough to make your dreams come true by working hard towards it”.
Varun Raheja
Founder, Raheja Solar Food Processing
Varun’s invention is first of its kind which has been specifically focused on small and marginal farmers who are forced to discard the excess yield produced by them in every season. The model ensures that it fits the farmer’s pocket as well.
