Five farmers who found profit in dehydrating vegetables and flowers

India’s farmers have long suffered from the perishability of fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. A bumper harvest often means distress sales, with fruits and vegetables rotting before reaching distant markets and middlemen paying peanuts for farmers’ hard work. 

But emerging techniques of dehydration are changing things. Dehydration, the process of removing moisture from produce, preserves value and extends the shelf life of fresh produce. By dehydrating fruits and vegetables, farmers can reduce post-harvest losses and convert fresh produce into long-lasting, value-added products such as powders, flakes, and chips. 

Some farmers have built their own small brands, while others supply to ready-to-eat companies, food caterers, and online marketplaces looking for chemical-free, shelf-stable ingredients. The result is better income stability, less wastage, and a growing market for healthy, convenient foods.

Fresh crops can be dried using solar, electric or infra-red (IR) drying technology. Electric and IR dryers typically have a higher initial investment than basic solar dryers.

However, advanced solar dryers with features like thermal storage or a hybrid system (using electricity at night and solar energy during the day) can have a higher upfront cost but better financial returns in the long run.

Small, energy-efficient agri-drying units can be installed even in semi-rural areas, allowing smallholders and cooperatives to process produce on-site. The cost of a solar dryer has fallen sharply, making it viable for individual or group enterprises.

Under the PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, a 35 percent subsidy is available for dehydration projects. 

Many farmers and entrepreneurs have used it to set up and grow their businesses.

The global dehydrated vegetables market was valued at 72.7 billion dollars in 2022 and is expected to reach 159.6 billion dollars by 2033, a report by research firm Future Market Insights says.

Entrepreneurs typically report a 25 percent to 40 percent margin, especially for high-value crops like mushrooms, turmeric, jackfruit, and herbs. The low operational costs of solar or hybrid dryers make the model viable even at a small scale.

Here are five agripreneurs who have built strong businesses through agri-drying: 

1. Josemon Jacob, Kottayam, Kerala

When Josemon saw farmers struggling with rotting farm produce during COVID, he knew the solution was to dry it and increase shelf life. Today, his electric agri-drying unit in Kottayam dries over 1,000 tonnes of vegetables annually, helping farmers cut losses. He also sells his farm's dried products under the JME brand and clocks Rs 25 lakh annual turnover.

Here’s his story: How this 23-year-old built a successful agri-drying business; clocks Rs25 lakh turnover

2. Keerthi Priya, Telangana

Keerthi was staying alone in Bengaluru when she started working after completing her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta. Since she had little time to cook, her mother, Odapalli Vijaya Laxmi, would send her dehydrated veggies from Hyderabad.

Coming from a farming famly, she was well versed with the problems farmers faced due to the limited shelf life of fresh vegetables and fruits. In 2021, Keerthi quit her job and started Koh! Foods with her mother to produce dehydrated vegetables. They source raw materials from marginal farmers in Telangana, dehydrate them in their unit and sell products all over India and overseas. Koh clocked Rs1 crore in revenues last fiscal.

Here’s her story: This IIM grad quit her job for vegetable dehydration business; empowers farmers 

3. Vandana Patil, Maharashtra

Vandana, a member of a women’s self-help group in Jalgaon, learned about vegetable dehydration in 2021. She set up a solar drying unit with a personal loan in 2022 and now dries moringa and curry leaves, beetroot, onions, tomatoes and other fresh veggies. 

She also cultivates moringa on her farm for dehydration. The rural woman entrepreneur retails them at over Rs600 a kg, clocking Rs3 lakh monthly turnover. She also trains other people in dehydration.

Here’s Vandana’s story: Maharashtra woman builds vegetable-drying business; clocks Rs3 lakh monthly turnover

4. Shivpal Singh, Uttar Pradesh

After retiring from the National Seeds Corporation, Shivpal returned to his native Kannauj in 2021 and began home gardening. That led him to a nursery business, and he also started farming on the ancestral land.

Seeing the frequent glut in the market during peak season, he was disturbed about selling peas at Rs 10 per kg. That led him to explore vegetable dehydration, and he put up an IR-drying machine in his unit. With an investment of Rs 2.5 lakh, this machine can dry 150 kg of vegetables, fruits or flowers daily. 

From banana and moringa to curry leaves, tomato and carrot, Shivpal sells dehydrated vegetables across Uttar Pradesh and in neighbouring states. 

5. Shivraj Nishad, Uttar Pradesh

Shivraj quit his job as a medical representative to start flower farming in 2022. He soon learned about the high demand for dried flowers and invested in a solar dryer.

He now works with 1,000 farmers in Uttar Pradesh to produce, procure and dry butterfly pea, hibiscus, jasmine, and other flowers, empowering farmers with stable incomes. His annual turnover was Rs 1.5 crore last fiscal.

Here’s his story: Kanpur farmer builds flower-drying business; annual turnover at Rs 1.5 crore

(Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment). 

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