There is an increasing investment in both the fruit and fish industry, however little is being done to improve the product competitiveness on the market in terms of quality as a result of poor post-harvest handling and processing[1]. This has been due to the poor technologies used in both drying and the smoking process for fruits and fish respectively[2]. The products from these technologies (direct smoke drying, solar drying and traditional sun drying) which are all subject to climate conditions and provide products with smoke, dust, flue gases all which are not healthy for direct human consumption. Hence this denies satisfaction to end users especially foreign markets that seek quality smoked fish, dried fruit and healthy snack products. On the contrary, electrical machine drying that is a better option faces a challenge of high power consumption, operation and maintenance costs making it inappropriate for use in Uganda.

Madraam engineers have developed a feasible alternative solution (Biomass dryer intervention) that supplies clean hot air to the drying chambers with the use of a heat exchanger which can be done 24/7. This will give high quality products that can be consumed directly with/without further processing required. The equipment has a competitive advantage of using high temperature streams of air to facilitate the drying process in the least possible time and could be a great solution for post-harvest handling in the regions of Kayunga for fresh fruits and Mayuge for fishing. The high quality and value of products from biomass dryers will not only provide safe products on the market but also improve on agricultural waste handling through the use of agricultural refuses (like coffee husks, briquettes, maize cobs, wood shavings, to mention but a few). Therefore; the investment in the manufacture of Biomass dryers will help farmers provide quality products that meet the standards on both local and foreign markets. This will increase foreign exchange in the long run as a result of value addition to both the fresh fruit and fish industry in Uganda.