Use of Eco-Friendly Solar Cabinet Dryer for Drying of Agricultural Products-A Boon to Rural Farmers of Manipur

An experiment was carried out on low-cost solar cabinet dryer as a part of the on-farm trial (OFT) for local area suitability and extension of the technology to the rural areas of Manipur. Due to the lack of awareness of appropriate technology for storage and post-harvest management in Manipur, the considerable amount of fruits and vegetables are spoiled after harvest. There is also a lack of sufficient storage and processing facilities in Manipur. These make the losses occur in both ways i.e. qualitative and quantitative of the farm produces. In this study, the use of solar energy in the agricultural area to preserve fruits and vegetables were shown to be practical, economical and the environmentally friendly technology. The solar cabinet dryer could save drying duration for different fruits, vegetables, and spices by 2-4d over the traditional open sundry. This technology could be successfully extended in many parts of far-flung areas of Manipur.