Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

Rural entrepreneur tastes success in value addition

Staff Reporter

Nutritious banana figs produced by dehydrating the fruit in a trial-and-error method over three years

TIRUCHI : A young rural entrepreneur has tasted success in adding value to banana, grown in large quantities in Tiruchi district, by dehydrating the fruit in a trial-and-error method over a three-year period. The toil of T. Mariappan, a traditional banana grower of Seelapillayar Puthur near Kattuputhur, one of the prominent banana belts, resulted in tasty and nutritious banana figs (dehydrated banana) sans preservatives. The product has a shelf life of six months, and the National Research Centre for Banana has acknowledged the success of the result.

Mr. Mariappan designed a banana dehydrator himself that works on the simple principle of hot air oven, normally adopted in bakeries. The total removal of aqua content through electrical process from the fruits makes the product tasty, he says, explaining that the high quantum of water in normal banana acts as a ready solvent for its sugar. When dehydrated completely, the produce is in its sweetest form, acting as a healthy substitute for chocolates for children. It could also be used as a dessert.

Although any variety of banana could be dehydrated, he had restricted his methodology to just two varieties — `nei poovan' and `karpuravalli' - which he cultivates in his fields, throughout the year.

Mr. Mariappan is confident that the trade will soon develop into a cottage industry as Indian Overseas Bank, under the District Rural Industries Programme (DRIP) programme, has sanctioned Rs. 11 lakh for his project, which includes a subsidy component of Rs. 2.80 lakh from the KVIC.

Under the first phase, he has already obtained a loan of Rs. three lakhs. The display of the product at the exhibitions conducted by the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) at different places across the state popularised the product.

His year-long research and development work and the feedback from the customers have gone a long way in making some improvements in manufacturing techniques. He is now marketing the produce in 400-kg packs and in sachets. His immediate future plan is to use a solar energy-operated dehydrator for large-scale production. The National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, has agreed to design the drier.

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