Investigating Agricultural Prospects for Mango Fruit Powder Manufacturing at the Farm Level in India
Indian farmers are exploring the production of mango fruit powder as a means to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural sector, boost their incomes, and meet the rising global demand for natural mango-based products.
Key Steps for Farm-Level Production
The process of farm-level mango powder production involves several structured steps, starting from the selection of mango varieties suitable for powder production, to packaging and storage. Here's a breakdown of the key steps:
- Selection of Mango Variety and Harvesting: Opt for mango varieties that are high in nutrients and good flavor precursors, such as unripe or mature-green mangoes.
- Fruit Sorting and Washing: Sort the mangoes to remove damaged or overripe fruits, ensuring cleanliness and quality before processing.
- Peeling, Slicing, and Drying: Peel and slice the mango fruits thinly, then use drying techniques like sun drying, hot air drying, or preferably freeze drying to remove moisture and prepare the fruit for powdering.
- Grinding and Sieving: The dried mango slices are ground into a fine powder and sieved to ensure uniform particle size.
- Packaging and Storage: Proper moisture-proof packaging is essential to retain the powder’s quality and shelf life, which can range from 6 to 12 months depending on storage conditions.
- Marketing and Sales: Target B2B sectors such as food processing, nutraceutical, and beverage industries, or sell directly to consumers as a health supplement and flavoring agent.
Benefits for Farmers
By producing mango fruit powder, farmers can benefit from value addition, reduced post-harvest losses, year-round availability, and market diversification. Mango powder has a higher market value than raw fruit, allowing farmers to extend income streams beyond fresh mango sales.
Challenges
Despite the benefits, farm-level mango powder production faces challenges such as initial investment, quality control, storage and packaging, and market access. However, possible solutions include cooperative models, training and skill development, adoption of cost-effective drying methods, direct marketing and digital platforms, and storage innovations.
In summary, Indian farmers can establish economically viable mango powder production by carefully integrating selection, drying, processing, and marketing steps, leveraging mango’s nutritive benefits, while addressing equipment costs and quality challenges through collective strategies and technical support. By converting mangoes into powder, farmers can potentially increase the overall value of their produce, and mango powder offers a significantly longer period of viability compared to fresh mangoes.
Read also:
- Unchecked Management of HP Dams Leads to Environmental Disaster: RTI Reveals
- Nordstrom taps prominent New York residents for their second advertising campaign in the city.
- Rivian is working on new technology to enhance the agility of its electric vehicles (EVs)
- Renault Triber Facelift Enlivens India's Multi-Purpose Vehicle Market: Overlooked 6 Notable Features that Should Have Been Included
