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Agro Processing Industry

Agro processing is defined as set of techno-economic activities, applied to all the produces, originating from agricultural farm, livestock, aquacultural sources and forests for their conservation, handling and value-addition to make them usable as food, feed, fiber, fuel or industrial raw materials.

Agro-processing activities comprise two major categories; primary and secondary operations. Primary processing operations involve activities such as crop drying, shelling/threshing, cleaning, grading, and packaging. These activities are mainly carried out at the farm and only transform the commodity into a slightly different form prior to storage, marketing or further processing. Secondary processing operations entail increasing nutritional or market value of the commodity and the physical form or appearance of the commodity is often totally changed from the original. Some examples of secondary processing are milling grain into flour, grinding groundnuts into peanut butter, pressing oil out of vegetable seeds, pressing juice out of fruit, making cheese out of milk and manufacturing of mince meat. Depending on type of commodity, equipment needed for primary processing is completely different from that used in secondary processing or major adjustments/modifications need to be done to suit either.

In here we are going to discuss about agro processing mainly considering situation of India.

Inadequate attention to the agro-processing sector in the past put both the producer and the consumer at a disadvantage and it also hurt the economy of the country.

Historical View

By the middle of the nineteenth century, common agro processing industries included hand pounding units for rice, water power driven flour mills, bullock driven oil ghanies, bullock operated sugarcane crushers, paper making units, spinning wheels and handloom units for weaving.

Among large number of technologies developed, the most popular ones include:

1. Agriculture produces refinement equipment such as, cleaners, graders and driers for on-farm operations as well as industrial operations.

2. Processes and equipment for parboiling of rice, preparation of puffed rice and flaked rice.

3. Development of processes and equipment for processing of pulses to produce dhal for higher recovery and better quality.

4. Development of driers using agricultural residues, by-products and solar energy.

5. Adoption and development of processes, and equipment for production of protein.

6. Development of equipment such as, leaf cup and dona making machine, multipurpose mills, mini flour mill, grain peelers, maize dehuskers, shellers, groundnut decorticators, fruit graders, juice extractors, high recovery mechanical oil expellers and improved storage structures for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, onion and potato.

7. Processes and equipment for production of high quality ground spices and spice mix, development of raw materials and processes for production of instant sweets, curries, snack foods, instant soft drinks, egg.

Rice Processing Industry

In processing sector, the technology has undergone significant changes. Earlier, hand pounding, pedal operated system and Engleberg huller units were common for milling of paddy.

Starting from sun drying, the technology for drying of paddy now includes use of a variety of driers, specifically for parboiled paddy. Continuous flow LSU type driers have been most commonly used units followed by tray driers (batch type). Thermic fluids are used as medium of heat transfer for heating the air used for drying in a large number of rice mills. Though efforts have been made to improve the rice hullers, limited success was achieved in improving their performance with respect to reduction in broken percentage. Rubber roll technology for dehusking has now been well established.

Significant achievements have been recorded in packaging technology for milled rice for ready-to cook applications in domestic market and export.

Rice bran oil is a common form of edible oil besides its application in industry specifically as soap stock.

However, rice husk is being used only as source of fuel in rice mills, in making particle boards, in poultry houses as bedding material and in land fills. Similarly, paddy straw has found limited applications as cushioning material in packaging of fruits and for preparation of soft boards. It is extensively used as cattle feed in many parts of the country.

Processing of Coarse Cereals

Till 1950s, we were dependent on manual methods of harvesting of these crops, bullock treading, storage in mud bins and gunny bags and milling by manual chakkis or water mills. By the year 1998-99, power operated equipment were available for all operations including threshing, pearling and milling. For storage of coarse cereals, metal bins have been designed.

Technology has also been developed for production of value-added products from coarse cereals such as extruded snacks.

The trends indicate that coarse cereals are now increasingly used as cattle feed, specialty/ occasional foods, and industrial products such as starches. Efforts are required to develop high yielding varieties of coarse with desired characteristics for different uses and to explore new food uses. Safe storage of the flour produced from most of the coarse cereals has been a problem due to its high degree of perishability.

Processing of Pulses

Pulses were generally stored in gunny bags or in small tin containers under straw cover during 1950s. By the year 2000-2001, metal bins and gunny bags (with prophylactic treatment by insecticides) were in use.

A number of plant based mild insecticides and insect repellents (such as, neem seed powder) have been developed for safe storage of seeds.

In the area of milling of pulses, CFTRI developed a dhal mill that has the advantage of not being dependent on natural sun shine. It involves subjecting the pulse grain to high temperature (120 degree Celsius) for short time and the dehusking by carborundum rollers resulting in higher dhal recovery.

Oilseeds Processing

Besides, animal based fat specifically obtained from milk and milk products, edible plant oils have been the major source of oils and fats for most of the population in the country.

R&D Institutions in the country have been working on pre-treatment of oilseeds for higher recovery of oil. Steaming has been found as one of the most useful methods for pre-treatment.

Processing of Fruits and Vegetables

Significant developments in technology include better understanding of the process of ripening of fruits, optimum harvesting time, pre-cooling of freshly harvested produce, cold storing of the raw fruits and vegetables, sorting, cleaning, waxing, packaging technology for fruits.

Most significant work has been recorded in the technology for ripening of the fruits under controlled conditions. Production of juices and value-added products including jams, jellies, pickles, canned products etc. has become a commercial success. The industry using indigenous technology includes units engaged in juice extraction, concentration of juices, canning and production of several of the products like jams, jellies, canned fruits, dried vegetables etc. Technology is still being imported for establishment of large scale exported oriented units for production of items like banana paste, concentrates of various fruit juices, sorting, cleaning, washing, waxing and packaging of raw fruits and vegetables.

Sugarcane Processing Industry

About 80% of the cane produced is milled, about half for the production of refined white sugar in the organized sector with the sugar mills located in the production catchments in public, private and cooperative sectors.

Modern sugar mills with co-generation meet their entire energy needs, both thermal and electro mechanical from these bagasse fired boilers – steam turbine units. They feed extra power to grid or save 15-20% bagasse for the use as feedstock or paper making.

Processing of Animal Produce

Efforts are on to develop infrastructure for export of both fresh and processed meat and poultry. Production is essentially decentralized and rural based. Poultry has done well remaining in rural sector and developing network of marketing in distant remunerative markets. Hygiene in slaughter houses and use of blood, viscera and other wastes is not satisfactory.

The meat from culled birds, goats and buffaloes is tough textured, better suited for processed meat products.

Fish & Fish Products Processing

Open sun dried fish and fish meal are the only major exceptions.

Processing of Commercial Crops

Post harvest operations of these crops are highly energy intensive and there is a scope for reducing energy consumption and improvement of quality through proper cleaning, grading, drying/dehydration, milling, grinding and other operations.

New products like dehydrated pepper, freeze dried green pepper, ginger candy, ginger beer/in-brine/ squash, ginger flakes have to be developed.

Processing of Plantation Crops

There is considerable scope of product diversification, viz. production of coconut milk and milk powder, coconut cream, shell powder, shell charcoal etc. Coconut wood utilization needs more attention. In case of other crops, financially viable technologies for product diversification need to be developed. Such products are arecanut fat, tannin, areuline, other chemicals from arecanut, honey/ chocolate coated or salted kernels from cashewnuts and value added products from by-products.

Though the technology has been developed for desiccated coconut, coconut cream and other products, it needs refinement.

In case of the plantation crops like oil palm, necessary efforts are required for processing and value addition, especially with regard to quality of products, energy inputs, packaging etc. to meet the international quality standards and to reduce the cost of production. Processing of cocoa beans at small scale also needs attention.

Reference

Agro-Processing Industries in India—Growth, Status and Prospects

R. P. Kachru

Asstt. Director General (Process Engineering), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi