Business Proposal: Mama Diop Hybrid Solar Dryer

Management summary, December 2009

solar dried mango
1. Introduction
Mama Diop is the name of an enterprise initiated by a Dutch foundation called
Stichting Gambia Project. The idea is to make local communities benefit by making
good use of three specific properties pertaining to many African countries !. the
peaks of abundance of "arious fruits# usually rotting a$ay aimlessly# %. the abundant
a"ailability of solar energy# and &. lo$ cost labour.
'rom %((! )uropean demand for dried tropical fruit has been rising at an a"erage
annual rate of *+# demonstrating that impro"ed fruit drying and e,porting capabilities
constitute potential means of economic de"elopment and po"erty alle"iation.
Mama Diop aims at effectuating these opportunities by building means of production
in -est Africa# buying the dried products and selling them in )urope.
.ornerstone of this comprehensi"e supply chain approach is the Hybrid Solar Dryer
(HSD) as described in this document. /o research 0 de"elopment is re1uired# merely
plain engineering# reducing technical project risk to "irtually 2ero.
A schedule indicating the re1uired means and time to de"elop# build and test a
prototype is included.
Present status
Thirty years of creati"e hands3on engineering in )urope plus fi"e years of $ood and
metal construction in Africa along $ith the de"elopment and serial building of
relati"ely small Solar Dryers in the Gambia ha"e gained Mama Diop some in"aluable
African e,perience and kno$3ho$# also regarding 4appropriate management5.
The ac1uired insights led to the concept of the 6SD as presented in this document.
The "ery same dryer $as found to be in demand in 7urkina 'aso and 8ali too9 for a
fe$ decades these countries ha"e been producing and e,porting dried fruit# mainly
:organic; mango. 8ost of it is dried in propane3fuelled 4Atesta5 o"ens that ha"e
become rather obsolete o"er time. <ising energy prices and stringent )=3food safety
re1uirements add to the loss of competing po$er on the $orld market.
/o drying de"ice to suit these demands is presently marketed in these countries. A
market for the 6SD can safely be presumed in many other African countries.
Primary aim
>t is Mama Diops goal to de"elop the 6SD and build the prototype in such a $ay that
an upgrading3kit for the current Atesta3dryers can be deri"ed at the same time# using
the same components and 6ybrid Solar technology.
In a nutshell/keywords:
3 /ot Aid but Trade9
3 .omprehensi"e supply chain approach
!. build and sell 6SD5s in -3Africa# pro"iding jobs?income and education9
%. buy the dried produce#
&. e,port and sales abroad# mainly in )=9
3 >nsert adapti"e high technology into appropriate technology#
3 @ob opportunities and education by building 6SD5s9 income generation for lo$est
income groups# mainly $omen# by drying and packing fruit9
3 .orporate Social <esponsibility 0 'air Trade $ages# secondary pro"isions etc.9
3 Sustainability boosting sustainable agriculture and sustainable energy9
3 .ompliance $ith )= :foodsafety; standards9
3 Profits to be rein"ested in region of production9
3 8illenium De"elopment Goals pro"ide guidelines for conducting business9
2. The HSD
Mama Diops 6SD is de"ised as a modular concept. The basic module $ill re1uire a
surface of about A,!( metres and has a capacity of e"aporating A(( kgs of $ater per
%B hrs. >t can be used to dry "irtually any crop# from mango to groundnuts. The
capacity of the module $ill typically fit the potential of a rural community of !A(( 3
&(((. >n an a"erage mango season it can dry the yield of about BA to CA trees.
The 6SD3module comprises
3 a solar heat collector# reducing fuel consumption9
3 a drying chamber $ith "ariable recirculation# minimi2ing the use of energy and
optimi2ing product 1uality9
3 a burner using biogas to bridge periods $ithout sunshine9
3 heat e,changers to indirectly heat the air and reuse energy# increasing energy
efficiency9
3 a processing space for pre3 and post3drying treatment and for handling and
packing dried products9
3 a small scale digester# turning %A( kgs of daily $aste into biogas# pro"iding
energy for about !% hours of nighttime drying.
3 a small PD3installation# pro"iding electricity for "entilation and mo"ement in
the drying chambers and for lighting the $orking space.
3 4smart5 drying cycle# adaptable to different crops and?or re1uirements9
3 The use of $aste heat from the production of electricity for drying purposes is
optional9 this could reduce fuel usage for the sole purpose of fruit drying to almost
2ero.
3 >n order to minimi2e handling and manipulation of the :bare; product Efor reasons of
both cost3efficiency and foodsafetyE# scrupulous attention $ill be paid to $orkflo$
lay3out as $ell as to ergonomics and logistics.
3 Data pro"ided by the 8alian 48inistFre de l5Agriculture5 indicate that energy sa"ings
bet$een A(+ and CA+ compared to the 4Atesta5 dryers can be e,pected.
Advantages o the modular approa!h:
3 "arying demands for drying capacity can be satisfied9
3 adaptability to "arious in"estment capacities9
3 allo$s for easy increase of drying capacity later on by adding modules9
3 facilitates year3round processing and supply of different dried products to the
market.
Advantages o Hybrid"Solar energy supply:
3 cost efficient use of energy# use of solar energy $hene"er possible9
3 $aste :peels and seeds; supply biogas# energy for nighttime processing9
3 biogas3dri"en processing can continue in nighttime and rainy season9
3 optional possible combination $ith generation of electricity9
3 climate3neutral and en"ironmentally sound production.
3. uildin! the "rototype
Stage !
.! >n"estigation of e,isting local dryers# assessment of upgrading possibilities#
market3demand# possible use of $aste energy# local building materials# etc9
.% thermodynamic design and calculations9
.& design of layout of unit regarding $orkflo$ and product 1uality :6A..P?GAP;.
Stage %
7uilding the 6SD module prototype $ith 8ama Diop5s trained $orkforce in e,isting
facilities in the Gambia.
Stage &
.! Testing and fine3tuning the prototype#
.% educating $orkers and $riting a manual9
.& promotional acti"ities# demonstrations# publicity and sales.
#stimated !ost and time
Hybrid Solar Dryer prototype
hours labour
materials,
equipment, etc. time to finish
/h months weeks
stage 1 !" ! #$.!#$ ##$$ % 1#
stage # &'' ! ."$ #$$$ " #"
stage % "$' ! #(.%"$ %#$$ 1"
))))))) ))))))) ))))))) )))))))
#.#'$ &#.%$ #&.$$ 121.740 1% !
3 The prototype $ill also ser"e to de"elop and test upgrading possibilities for e,isting
Atesta dryers# mainly used in 7urkina 'aso and 8ali.
#. usiness$ise
The project pro"ides interesting and re$arding in"estment and?or partnering
opportunities for importers?traders of dried products# food processors# informal
in"estors and established institutions9 the project also creates e,porting opportunities
for de"eloping countries. 6igh returns on in"estment can be achie"ed.
>ntegral de"elopment of the supply chain is $hat makes this a promising business
opportunity. This is a prere1uisite to secure production# 1uality control# transportation
and sales abroad. Gn one hand this comprises construction# sales and ser"icing of the
6SD5s# on the other implementation of 1uality standards# buying the dried products
and sales in )urope.
Gf course 8ama Diop is also looking for local in"estors and?or business partners for
e1uity in"estment.
S$%&"analysis
S&'%(): :regarding the HSD;
energy efficient# high output.
solar and biofuel dri"en long term lo$ cost# independant supply of energy.
$aste is turned into biogas# pro"iding B(+ of re1uired drying energy.
reduced .G% emissions by using solar# biofuel and $aste heat.
multi3purpose programmable drying cycle for many products# pro"iding high
cost3efficiency.
smart drying cycle and efficient $orkflo$ pro"ide high output ratio.
compliance $ith )= 1uality3 and foodsafety demands :6A..P# )urep?GAP#
organic certification are all possible;.
resulting in:
strong market position year3round supply of "arious products.
jobs and educational opportunities in local building of 6SD5s.
income generation in drying and packing fruit and other produce.
reasonable $ages for local $orkers.
boosting sustainable agriculture and sustainable energy.
contributes to 8DG5s !#%#&#H and *# respecti"ely regarding po"erty alle"iation#
education# $omen5s empo$erment# sustainability and fair trade.
$#A*: :regarding entire project;
project re1uires integral supply chain de"elopment.
finance is pro"ing hard to find# both inland and foreign.
products are relati"ely uncommon to )= consumers outside G7 and Germany.
%PP%'&+(I&I#S:
de"eloping the )= consumer3market.
de"elopment of great inno"ati"e potential in dried fruits# esp.dried mango# for
foodprocessing industries.
incenti"es for this type of in"estment pro"ided by many -3African countries.
&H'#A&S:
mainly fluctuating e,change rates for unstable local currencies.
Support
The 7usiness in De"elopment 8atch8aking Team has recogni2ed the 8angoplan as
"ery promising. As a conse1uence 8ama Diop recei"es practical support in finding
in"estors.
8ama Diop also ackno$ledges these "aluable contacts and contributions
n the !etherlands:
Stichting Gambia Project :financial and organi2ational support;
Stichting 6eshima :initial financial and organi2ational support;
8ark 6illen :business ad"ice;
8aud "an den 8eiracker :business ad"ice;
)osta# a big importer?trader of fresh fruit.
Tradin# the biggest Dutch importer?trader of dried and fresh organic fruit.
Doens 'ood >ngredients# trader in dried fruits
DI' Sustainable :initial technical ad"ice;
Ders 0 Deilig# .hris Tegenbosch# :coaching# ad"ice;
Agriterra
Agrofair
'air Trade Iabeling
.GS3Groningen :.arlos 'lores3=rbina;
7etter 'uture
>..G
AS/37ank :initial financial support %((H;
8aarten Strengers Projects :ad"ice and design of sustainable energy
applications for 8ama Diop;
/.DG :financial contribution to field test %((H;
Gikocredit
-=<# -ageningen =ni"ersity and <esearch .entre
Technische =ni"ersiteit "an T$ente# -erkgroep Gnt$ikkelingsTechniek
6ogeschool "an Amsterdam
6ogeschool "an 6all3Iarenstein# Ieeu$arden
J>T :Joninklijk >nstituut "oor de Tropen# <oyal Tropical >nstitute;
8inistry of )conomic Affairs Senter/o"em# )DD# Daey Gu$ens'onds# PS>
8inistry of Agriculture
8inistry of 'oreign Affairs# reg. De"elopmental .ollaboration
Se"eral organi2ations concerning food safety# 6A..P# organic certification
n the "ambia:
Social De"elopment 'und# the largest /GG in the Gambia.
Gambia >n"estment Promotion and 'ree Kones Agency
Sandele )co <etreat Jartong# Geri 8itchell and 8aurice Phillips
.are for /atural# .laudette Sarr3Jrook
Gambia is Good# agricultural e,perimental centre# Jelly TabourL3Smeets
/A<># /ational Agricultural <esearch >nstitute
AS.GD# Association for Sustainable .ommunity De"elopment
JA<T# Jartong Association for <esponsible Tourism
<eliance 'inancial Ser"ices
Angela 6orton 'oundation
Inormation
'or further information please contact
#red $an Hessen, initiator o% Mama Diop&
M&!:(;A(3&!.**.AH*
or
M&! :(;C3%%.&%.&%.NN
fred"anhessenO,sBall.nl