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Success that's cut and dried
Uganda
Monday 18 June 2007
More impressive even than the mouth-tingling flavour of sun-dried fruit is the satisfaction radiating from the faces of farmers who bring sacks of top-grade dried bananas, pineapple and mangoes to the Fruits of the Nile depot in a suburb of Kampala, Uganda. "I never thought smallholder African farmers could export what they can grow and process to Europeans," says Angello Nydaguma, the young managing-director of the depot, as he watches another farmer unload his delivery for weighing. "Doing this job makes me feel great."
Five years ago Jane Naluwairo started drying unwanted bananas but now she specializes in pineapple. "I only ever select the best quality of fruits for drying," she explains. "If you do not start with perfect fruit at just the right ripeness for slicing you will not get the best product." Precisely sliced pineapple, banana, mango, papaya or carambola (star-fruit) stays three days in a solar drier specially-designed to deny even the smallest insect a feast on the fast-drying fruit. The drier is also covered in a specialized plastic to filter out harsh UV rays, which would otherwise blacken the fruit. The driers are made from local timber but require shelves made from high standard mesh imported from the UK. Costing about US$150 each, farmers are offered loans to help them to afford their own solar drier kit and are given extensive training on how to use it.
On delivery to the depot, farmers are paid in cash according to weight. More importantly to these smallholders, they are assured a guaranteed price. Rejections of damaged, discoloured or unevenly dried fruit are deducted from the next payment although, according to Angello Nydaguma, less than 1% is generally discarded. The final defense against damage by weevils is to deep freeze fruit for two days. Defrosted fruit is then repacked for transport through Kenya to Mombassa and shipping to Europe.
Five years ago Jane Naluwairo started drying unwanted bananas but now she specializes in pineapple. "I only ever select the best quality of fruits for drying," she explains. "If you do not start with perfect fruit at just the right ripeness for slicing you will not get the best product." Precisely sliced pineapple, banana, mango, papaya or carambola (star-fruit) stays three days in a solar drier specially-designed to deny even the smallest insect a feast on the fast-drying fruit. The drier is also covered in a specialized plastic to filter out harsh UV rays, which would otherwise blacken the fruit. The driers are made from local timber but require shelves made from high standard mesh imported from the UK. Costing about US$150 each, farmers are offered loans to help them to afford their own solar drier kit and are given extensive training on how to use it.
On delivery to the depot, farmers are paid in cash according to weight. More importantly to these smallholders, they are assured a guaranteed price. Rejections of damaged, discoloured or unevenly dried fruit are deducted from the next payment although, according to Angello Nydaguma, less than 1% is generally discarded. The final defense against damage by weevils is to deep freeze fruit for two days. Defrosted fruit is then repacked for transport through Kenya to Mombassa and shipping to Europe.
