Dried fruit is big business – Shulinab Women’s Group cashing in
DPI, Guyana, Feature, Saturday, February 9, 2019
The mango is one of the most important fruits grown in Guyana. It is available year-round, and the main harvest periods are mid-October to January and May through June. During these periods, mangoes can be seen wasting in the Rupununi, Region 9. As one traverses the villages in the Deep South, under very huge trees are mangoes rotting, with birds’ picks or animals such as pigs waiting to grab them as they fall.
But the women of Shulinab, the only Makushi village in South Rupununi, Region 9, will not let the mangoes grown in their village go to waste. The Women’s Group is using e two small dryers it acquired to dry the fruits and send them to Georgetown for sale for just $1000 per pound. For them, ‘it’s big business.’
Violet Eusebio, Chairperson of the Shulinab Women’s Group told the Department of Public Information (DPI), in a recent interview, that the project began in May 2018 when the group restarted, and it was discovered that two dryers were the only assets they possessed.
“The project was ongoing for a very long time, but the previous group were doing it, drying a few things. But then it flopped. The women decided to elect a new chairperson. I was elected in May of 2018 and as soon as we restarted the group this was one of the biggest assets we had and everything was just wasting. We didn’t know how to use the dryer, the previous women did not tell us about the process of drying or what kind of fruits that can be dried, although we reached out to them. Luckily, a lady by the name. Sherlina Nagar visited the community some time ago and taught the women how to use the dryer,” Eusebio explained.
Eusebio said that Nagar was visiting the community during last year and came upon the women’s group who shared some of their ideas with her. She subsequently brought some samples of the dried tomatoes, mangoes, bananas and oranges to show the group.
“…Since we have those same fruits in the village, we started to dry them. I thought it was really hard but it is not…We are only seven months in this business and it has been great. but we still have a far way to go.”
The process
Before the drying process begins, the mango that has been sliced will usually have moisture on the surface. In the drying process, warm air that has little moisture will be used to pick up the moisture on the surface of the sliced mango. As the water on the surface is being evaporated, the water from inside the mango is also being drawn out to the surface to replace the lost moisture.
The process of water being drawn out from the centre of the material to the surface is called diffusion. Then the moisture will also be taken away by the warm air. As moisture is being drawn out to the surface, moisture on the surface will be less visible until it reaches a point where the surface will no longer look wet. The rate of moisture removal will also be slower as time goes on.
As moisture is being drained out of the mango, its cellular structure will begin to break down, causing the mango to shrink. At high temperatures, moisture can be drawn out too quickly forming a thick hard layer on the surface of the mango. The thick layer will trap moisture inside the fruit making it really difficult to entirely dehydrate the mango. This phenomenon of developing a hard skin-like outer layer is called case-hardening. According to Eusebio, the entire process takes about one and a half days.
Apart from mangoes the group also dries oranges, tangerines and other citrus fruits that are in season, and vegetables including peppers, pumpkin and tomatoes on a small scale. These go through a similar process to dry.
Most of these fruits and vegetables Eusebio said were going to waste because there is a glut in the village. However, the group’s decision to turn this surplus into a business has supported their families.
Big profit
The fruits are dried, packaged in plastic bags and sent to Georgetown on a regularly scheduled basis, after which Nagar supplies overseas customers and the women will get paid.
The chairperson said that the women’s group project is a significant boost for not only the group itself but the women who are involved. ‘….we have been able to get out outside markets and we have been making ‘big profits,’ she said.
Expanding
According to Eusebio, the group is working on a proposal to send to the Ministry of Social Protection to benefit from funding through the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme. The group anticipates receiving $8M.
She said that part of the plan will be to expand the building the group is currently working from. This will allow them to get involved in other business ventures. They also have plans to improve on their packaging, add more to what they already produce and seek additional local and overseas markets.
Synieka Thorne.
Image: Anil Seelall.