Reasi, February 26: There are several Women Self Help Groups active in Reasi district which have been formed under Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM). The Female Members of these Self Help Groups are involved in value addition and processing of fruit and vegetable products.
Before coming in contact with the Horticulture Department Reasi, the women of SGHs were using old, laborious and time consuming methods of drying and processing.
Collaborating with the JKRLM, the Horticulture Department Reasi oragnised camps where the Chief Canning and Processing Instructor Jammu imparted training to women in the latest techniques of processing and drying of the fruits and vegetables to produce value added products.
This put forward the demand for solar dryers for speedy processing of products like dry aonla candy, mango leather, raw mango, mushroom, masala tikki, vegetables etc.
Considering the urgency of the demand, Horticulture Department Reasi provided assistance to the SHGs for purchasing 34 solar dryers on 50% subsidy during 2021-22 under UT CAPEX budget.
The next step was imparting training to the women members in operating the Solar dryers which was accomplished by the Horticulture Department by organising a special training camp. These solar dryers take 1-2 days for drying which otherwise take 10-15 days.
Now most of the Women SGHs are using the solar dryers due to which their job has become less laborious, time saving, hygienic and the quality of the products has also improved drastically as the natural colour and aroma are retained in the final product. These products are fetching good prices to SGHs in the market improving the socio-economic condition of the women members.
