India: Mobile processing unit developed
Despite producing a large volume of fruits and vegetables India lags behind other parts of the world when it comes to processing.
Farmers often receive low prices for their produce, as it is all being sold at once, when there is a glut on the market.
As well as tomatoes the MPU can also process guava, pineapple, grapes, papaya and mango, as well as - with small modifications - mushrooms and vegetables.
Senthil Kumar, a farmer, said he found the unit useful. "We can make jam and juice from the unit. After the demo of the unit, I sampled the juice and it was delicious. Once jam is made, it can be stored and sold at a later date. So the unit is very useful," he said.
The production capacity of this unit is 50kg/hour. The cost of production of one litre of tomato pulp is Rs 18 ($0.32 US).
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
