Small Food Processing Unit - Bhutan
Donation protected
Me (Farmer Sangay) and my friend Tashi (mechanical engineer) & Leki ( electrical engineer) has prototyped & build a local electric dehydrator in last 2 months. This is the 4th generation of dehydrator we are building in last 5 years.
We are now in the process of establishing a food drying unit in the south of Bhutan where it can dry many local herbs such as Moringa leafs, fruits, vegetables & also livestock produces of farmers such as fish, pork, vegetable sausages & buiod them into marketable products.
The goal of this 5th generation of dehydrator is to build a unit that can ensure product quality consistency, through uniform circulation of hot air by fan & heat through electeic heater rods all components build in with control regulator; achieve energy efficiency through use of single electric motor for powering 4
rotating units that can hold min 75 kg weight each through use of pully & bearing connecting one unit to aother through proper mechanical designs of belts & wheels. Unlike our 3 previous dehydrator, this unit shall also hold raw materials up to 300kgs at a time and can dehydrate within 16 - 22hours which will enable the unit to run binesss operations on daily basis independent of outside weather. The unit shall generate 7 additional employment and shall directly help 2 large established farms & many small farmers around the region.
Our country imports huge amount of processed products in absence of such decent local processors. Currently the Bhutan agriculture and food regulatory authority (BAFRA) temporarily banned the imports of many products due to presence of prohibited food preservatives found on them. That includes chilli & dry fish. As the Pioneer members of Happy Green Co-operative ( www.happy.bt). Our dream is once incomes from this unit comes in we shall build more such units in different communities that we are engaged with, so more jobs & incomes can be created. Collectively we can also met the demands of different local market too.
We have proposed and got the initial seed fund of USD 8000$ interest free loan from our senior supporter & board member Mr. Kaentsho Sampai Dhendhp who has also given the same support to our first project Happy Chips 5 years ago (www.happychips.bt) But this money is just enough to lease/ rent drying space house, buy raw materials for construction of drying room & Innovating the space for the process which is 40% of the work.
We are therefore raising this additional find to complete the remaining works as follows;
1. Quality control lab tools : 1000$
2. Procurement processing tools & equipment : 2500$
3. Construction of Washing & cutting room : 4000$
4. Vacuum packing machine : 1500 $
5. Working capital 2 months (staff salary, rents, electricity, repair & maintenance, admin costs) : 3000$
Initially the unit shall focus on processing high quality local fish from our co-operative farmers. However we shall have 20% target for vegetables and fruit products too. This will help our cooperative members with stable market and increase their income by over 3 folds or more. For example the farm gate price of wet fish is Nu. 120/ kgs where as the price of dry local fish as per our marketing trial found our consumers are willing to pay anywhere between Nu. 600 - 850/kg. The imported similar product from nighnoring country costs Nu. 700 - 1000 / kg.
The processing unit is expected to help build local brand & shall be the first of its kind in the country. The trade statistics 2015 says bhutan imports almost Nu. 300 million worth fish products and only 3% of the local demand is met by local producers. The assumption is the import figure must have doubled by now and the local production has not improved yet since there is no such facilities and increased in local production remained more or less same.
The unit shall practice cooperative working culture whereby it will institute transferable management shares to the employees. The unit shall contribute majority of its net profit to our mother organization that is happy green coop and rest 4 founding members shall have equal stake in it.
The processing unit once established shall build on a product brand name " Happy Food Products" - the house of farmers' food.
We shall also update and send videos and photos of the project on a regular basis to all supporters and wel wishers who help build this dream of ours. Anyone who visits bhutan if interested may also visit the production unit and experience our life style here staying with local farmers in their simple peaceful farmhouses.
We sincerely hope we can raise this amount with all the valuable supporters out there.
We are now in the process of establishing a food drying unit in the south of Bhutan where it can dry many local herbs such as Moringa leafs, fruits, vegetables & also livestock produces of farmers such as fish, pork, vegetable sausages & buiod them into marketable products.
The goal of this 5th generation of dehydrator is to build a unit that can ensure product quality consistency, through uniform circulation of hot air by fan & heat through electeic heater rods all components build in with control regulator; achieve energy efficiency through use of single electric motor for powering 4
rotating units that can hold min 75 kg weight each through use of pully & bearing connecting one unit to aother through proper mechanical designs of belts & wheels. Unlike our 3 previous dehydrator, this unit shall also hold raw materials up to 300kgs at a time and can dehydrate within 16 - 22hours which will enable the unit to run binesss operations on daily basis independent of outside weather. The unit shall generate 7 additional employment and shall directly help 2 large established farms & many small farmers around the region.
Our country imports huge amount of processed products in absence of such decent local processors. Currently the Bhutan agriculture and food regulatory authority (BAFRA) temporarily banned the imports of many products due to presence of prohibited food preservatives found on them. That includes chilli & dry fish. As the Pioneer members of Happy Green Co-operative ( www.happy.bt). Our dream is once incomes from this unit comes in we shall build more such units in different communities that we are engaged with, so more jobs & incomes can be created. Collectively we can also met the demands of different local market too.
We have proposed and got the initial seed fund of USD 8000$ interest free loan from our senior supporter & board member Mr. Kaentsho Sampai Dhendhp who has also given the same support to our first project Happy Chips 5 years ago (www.happychips.bt) But this money is just enough to lease/ rent drying space house, buy raw materials for construction of drying room & Innovating the space for the process which is 40% of the work.
We are therefore raising this additional find to complete the remaining works as follows;
1. Quality control lab tools : 1000$
2. Procurement processing tools & equipment : 2500$
3. Construction of Washing & cutting room : 4000$
4. Vacuum packing machine : 1500 $
5. Working capital 2 months (staff salary, rents, electricity, repair & maintenance, admin costs) : 3000$
Initially the unit shall focus on processing high quality local fish from our co-operative farmers. However we shall have 20% target for vegetables and fruit products too. This will help our cooperative members with stable market and increase their income by over 3 folds or more. For example the farm gate price of wet fish is Nu. 120/ kgs where as the price of dry local fish as per our marketing trial found our consumers are willing to pay anywhere between Nu. 600 - 850/kg. The imported similar product from nighnoring country costs Nu. 700 - 1000 / kg.
The processing unit is expected to help build local brand & shall be the first of its kind in the country. The trade statistics 2015 says bhutan imports almost Nu. 300 million worth fish products and only 3% of the local demand is met by local producers. The assumption is the import figure must have doubled by now and the local production has not improved yet since there is no such facilities and increased in local production remained more or less same.
The unit shall practice cooperative working culture whereby it will institute transferable management shares to the employees. The unit shall contribute majority of its net profit to our mother organization that is happy green coop and rest 4 founding members shall have equal stake in it.
The processing unit once established shall build on a product brand name " Happy Food Products" - the house of farmers' food.
We shall also update and send videos and photos of the project on a regular basis to all supporters and wel wishers who help build this dream of ours. Anyone who visits bhutan if interested may also visit the production unit and experience our life style here staying with local farmers in their simple peaceful farmhouses.
We sincerely hope we can raise this amount with all the valuable supporters out there.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sangay Rinchen
Organizer
San Juan, PR
pawan tulachan
Beneficiary
