I. Recommendations

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The meeting approved the following recommendations.

 

INSTITUTIONS

  1. It is recommended that FAO promote cooperation among national, regional and international institutes doing work in the field of solar drying, such as TRDI, CIAT, GERDAT, NIHORT and TECHNION, by organising regular meetings.
  2. It is recommended that FAO continue to keep decision makers informed of developments in the field of solar drying by arranging meetings to which representatives of interested countries, potential donor countries and equipment manufacturers should be invited.
  3. It is recommended that future FAO Expert Consultations in this field, be limited to specific commodities.
  4. It is recommended that local specialised institutes participate in the experimental phase in order to compile information to be diesiminated to the farmers, to carry out tests to ascertain the commercial acceptance of the products and to study storage conditions in accordance with FAO's advice.
  5. It is recommended that national institutes define minimum quality standards of food products as well as types of storage conditions and packaging. The organisations or services concerned should control quality and guarantee the products' conformity with established norms.
  6. It is requested that FAO urge Governments to encourage the efforts of producers through appropriate price policies.

INFORMATION AND TRAINING

  1. It is recommended that FAO, as a follow-up to the present meeting' arrange a study tour for senior personnel from each interested country to places where solar drying is used at an advanced level.
  2. In order to apply solar drying techniques, the African countries request that training of specialists in the food sector be strengthened.
  3. It is recommended that FAO put emphasis on the training of rural people in order to acquaint them with the use of driers.

FAO ASSISTANCE

  1. It is recommended that FAO give assistance to interested countries for the purpose of improving traditional drying methods
  2. It is recommended that FAO develop and define the methodologies to be used in cottage and industrial-scale projects.
  3. It is recommended that FAO expand its investigations on solar drying to include also post harvest losses.

ACTUAL USES OF SOLAR DRYING

  1. It is recommended that FAO, assist the rural sector in particular to develop methods of drying perishable products, such as fruits and vegenables, tubers and other plant material, as well as meat and fish.
  2. It is recommended to establish a revolving fund' from which producers could be paid reimbursements for expenditures incurred during the experimental as well as the operational phase.
  3. Projects should be oriented mainly towards improvement of living conditions of rural people by enabling them to establish stocks of better quality food and in larger quantities. This would improve self-sufficiency and save foreign currency.
  4. It is recommended that these activities be promoted so that migration of rural people to urban areas may diminish and employment possibilities in rural areas may increase while at the same time relieving rural women of the drudgery of certain types of work.
  5. It is recommended that the management of collection centres be entrusted either to groups of producers or to private investors capable of securing the supply of fresh products and the commercialisation of the dried products.

SURVEY MISSIONS

  1. It is recommended that FAO send fact-finding missions to those countries that might request them, for the purpose of identifying pilot projects or target areas where solar drying techniques could be introduced and for supporting the establishment of solar drying programmes.
  2. The countries represented at this meeting request that FAO urgently send missions similar to Preparatory Missions I and II to other countries whether or not represented at this meeting.
  3. When the missions have completed project identification activities it is recommended that the interested governments formulate projects, including objectives, programmes of work as well as estimates of the resources needed to implement the projects.

PILOT UNITS AND PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

  1. All the delegates request that the already identified or proposed projects be implemented as soon as possible by FAO.
  2. It is recommended that the installation of drying units in rural areas be preceded by an experimental phase in order to ensure the success of the operation and demonstrate its economic viability to the rural people.
  3. It is recommended that only the most suitable areas be chosen for the collection and processing centres and that appropriate material, equipment and extension methods he used.
  4. It is recommended that FAO publish a report on the performance of driers and a guide facilitating the selection of equipment, with due regard to the products to be dried, desired capacity and climatic conditions.
  5. It is recommended that priority be given, with FAO assistance, to the drying of three types of products:
  1. well-known products, traditionally dried and consumed as such;
  2. surplus fresh products (sometimes unsold);
  3. special products intended for semi-industrial drying and new products.
  1. It is recommended that FAO set up a project or establish a regional centre in Africa for comparative, practical trials with solar driers of various designs.

 

COUNTRY RECOMMENDATIONS
(These recommendations may be completed at any time upon request of a country).

  1. GABON - FAO should send a mission to study the problems of the Gabonese chocolate product ODIKA and to formulate a project.
  2. MOROCCO - The three projects identified by the preparatory mission should be implemented as soon as possible with the help of FAO? which should also urgently support Phase II of the Fig and Prune Drying Project (packaging) units for dried products.
  3. NIGER - FAO should field a mission to formulate a project on drying of tomatoes and sweet peppers.
  4. ZAIRE - FAO should as soon as possible settle the requests for two projects for financing; i.e. one project for women in the market and commercial sector in Lower-Zaire and in the Kinshasa region and another for a pilot study in Kiwu.
  5. IVORY COAST - FAO should, as soon as possible? come to a decision on the financing of identified projects and the preparation of project documents.
  6. ETHIOPIA -
  1. It is recommended that FAO assist the Government in carrying out a feasibility study on a dehydration plant at Debre-Zeit which includes sundrying on farms.
  2. It is recommended that FAO assist the Government in carrying out a study on the methods being used at present for drying tobacco, onions? chill) and grapes at Nura-Era and Wollega and in proposing an improved system of drying.
  3. It is recommended that FAO assist the Government in the design of a solar drier for hibiscus flowers at Zwai.
  1. KENYA -
  1. FAO should assist in the documentation of existing traditional sundrying techniques with a view to their improvement.
  2. FAO should assist in a technical and socio-economic evaluation of ongoing sun drying projects.
  3. FAO should assist in formulating and seeking sources of financing for the already proposed projects (Karer and Marigat) as well as for other projects that will be proposed.
  1. GHANA -
  1. It is recommended that FAO send a fact finding mission as soon as possible, to ascertain the possibility of establishing a solar drying system for tomatoes.
  2. To improve the traditional methods of sun drying, it is recommended that FAO render technical assistance through the Food Research Institute of Ghana and the Ministry of Agriculture in order to assist rural families in setting up solar drying units.

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