Abstract:

The selection of suitable products for small-scale manufacture and the processes chosen to make them, require very careful consideration. It is not sufficient to assume, as many ‘advisers’ do, that simply because there is a surplus of a crop each year, a viable fruit or vegetable processing business can be created to use up the excess. There must be a clearly identified demand for the processed fruits or vegetables, or otherwise nobody will buy them and they will remain unsold on retailers’ shelves instead of rotting in the field. In general, products for which there is a high demand and a high added value are suitable for small-scale processing. Typically, these include snack foods, dried foods, juices, pickles, chutneys etc. (Figure 1.1) made from fruits and vegetables that have a low price at harvest. Their high added value means that a relatively small amount of food can be processed to earn a reasonable income. In addition, the size and type of equipment needed to process at this scale is affordable to most small-scale entrepreneurs.