Small Scale Dried Mango Production
8.65 - Small Scale Dried Mango Production
Ashley A. Angelis, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Angelis, A.A. (2026) Small Scale Dried Mango Production. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. farmpedia.org
Introduction
The mango, Mangifera indica, is an essential crop for many small scale farmers in the Asian and African regions, as it provides both essential nutrients such as vitamin A, which supports immune function and vision, as well as household income (Owino & Ambuko, 2021). However, significant amounts of mango are often lost due to post-harvest waste, while conversely in the subsequent dry season many of the dependent communities suffer from malnutrition including vitamin A (Owino & Ambuko, 2021). The majority of the waste occurs at the household level where harvest and postharvest rituals strongly influence shelf life and quality (Tian et al., 2010). Improper harvest techniques, such as rough handling, harvesting too early, or allowing sap to contact the fruit, can cause sap burn, bruising and an increased risk for disease pathogens which can further lead to more losses (Tian et al., 2010; Sivakumar et al., 2011). Pretreatment of the mango fruits postharvest but before packaging is a critical stage in the supply chain as it not only delays the ripening process but also prevents post harvest disease (Le et al., 2022).
Preventative postharvest treatments can be separated into chemical and non-chemical approaches, with the most common chemical coatings being Arabic gum, carboxymethyl cellulose (also known as CMC), and chitosan: these all form protective barriers around the fruit that can help extend the shelf life by slowing down the ripening process (Le et al., 2022; Sivakumar et al., 2011). The most common non-chemical treatments are hot water treatment which kills surface fungi, bacteria and insect eggs on the mango skins, solar pre-drying which reduces moisture before the final drying thus reducing microbial growth, improving colour retention and shortening drying times, and hygienic washing and sorting which reduces contamination by preventing spoiled fruit from affecting the batch and improves drying uniformity (Le et al., 2022; Sivakumar et al., 2011).
Dried mango production
Producing dried mango products is one of the simplest ways that farmers can reduce post-harvest losses as well as increase income. In the majority of the tropical regions that produce mango, 20-40% is lost after harvest due to spoilage during the peak harvest seasons; however, drying extends the shelf life from a few days to up to several months, allowing the farmers to sell the dried mango products at a higher cost at a later date (Ndawula et al., 2004). Two of the most effective drying technologies for mangos include open sun drying, which has the lowest cost but takes more time and is less hygienic, and solar drying which uses an enclosed drying area that uses solar heat and airflow (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025). Both of these methods are used in tropical regions where the mango production rate is high and electricity is quite limited (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025).
Step-by-Step Instructions
Option 1: Open Sun Drying (Ndawula et al., 2004)
This method is the most cost effective but the most intense labourwise. Open sun drying can also cause up to a 94% loss of beta-carotene and up to an 84% loss of vitamin C due to the direct UV exposure (Ndawula et al., 2004).
Equipment required
- Knife/ mango slicer
- Cutting board
- Drying trays
- Netting/mesh to protect from insects
Step 1: Fruit selection
Use firm but ripe mangos without any discoloration as quality fruit makes the drying period more efficient and improves final taste.
Step 2: Washing
Wash the fruits in clean water to remove microbes, insect eggs and soil. You can also do a short sanitation dip in a vinegar solution to reduce contamination before cutting into the fruit.
Step 3: Slice
Peel the mangoes and slice into 5-8 mm slices, uniform thickness of the slices ensures an even drying process and prevents fungal mold growth.
Step 4: Pretreatment (improves nutrient retention)
Pretreating helps to prevent browning while also protecting the vital vitamins that the fruit contains. Dipping the mango into lemon or lime juice (1 tbsp/L of water) or hot water (blanching for 1-2 minutes) are both effective ways to pretreat the fruit. Blanching has been shown to increase beta-carotene (vitamin A) retention by nearly 15% during the drying process making it a better option (Ndawula et al., 2004).
Step 5: Place slices on drying trays. Spread the slices in a single layer and avoid stacking fruit to promote quicker drying.
Figure 1. Mango slices are spread in a single layer on drying trays in the open air until moisture is reduced (Salazar-Camacho et al., 2022).
Step 6: Dry in the sun
Place trays in full sunlight on raised racks above the ground and cover with insect netting to prevent contamination (Figure 1). The drying process should take 2-4 days, however this is weather dependent (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025) and the slices should be turned every 3-4 hours throughout the process.
Step 7: Check moisture
Properly dried mango should be flexible but not sticky and have around a 10-12% moisture content (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025).
Once the moisture reaches the appropriate percentage the dried mango strips can be prepared for packaging and sold.
Option 2 - Solar Drying
Figure 2. Example of a solar dryer (Kayondo, S., 2018).
Solar drying involves an enclosed system (Figure 2) that uses sunlight to both heat and also dry fruits more effectively and efficiently (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025). The systems protect food from insects and dust while increasing the drying temperature thus reducing drying time by up to 40 hours compared to open sun drying (Kingphadung et al., 2022). Solar drying also helps with vitamin retention, for example improving retention of beta-carotene by 60-90% (Ndawula et al., 2004); this is due to the fact that the enclosed system protects fruit from direct UV exposure as well as excessive oxidation (Le et al., 2022). Another positive for using solar drying is that studies have shown that 100 g of dried mango produced by a solar dryer can supply 60-100% of a child’s daily vitamin A requirement, making it a worthwhile investment in nutrient deficient areas (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025). For preparation of the mango using the solar drying method, the same four earlier steps from open sun drying are repeated as shown (Owino & Ambuko, 2021).
Step 1-4: Fruit selection, washing, slicing, pretreatment (as above)
Step 5: Place slices on trays
Make sure that the mangoes are in a single layer and evenly distributed to help even drying and allow air circulation between the trays and the individual slices.
Step 6: Place in solar dryer
Arrange the trays in the solar dryer and close the chamber to allow the sunlight heat to warm the air inside the chamber and start the drying process.
Step 7: Dried fruit
The typical drying time is between 1-2 days for this method depending on the intensity and duration of solar radiation (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025).
Step 8: Cool before packaging
Cooling the dried mango before packaging will stop condensation from increasing in the bag in order to prevent fungal molds in the now dried fruit.
Benefits
Following the mango drying process, the economic return from the dried mango yield can be quite significant for smallholder farmers. The process of mango drying significantly increases the value of the fruit compared to selling it fresh, as the product becomes shelf-stable, easier to transport and marketable during the off season when the price of the fruit increases with the demand (FAO, 2018; Kitinoja & Kader, 2015). Analyses of small-scale mango enterprises show that converting fresh mango into dried products like mango ‘leather’ (i.e., dried mango pieces) can generate substantial profit margins (Owino and Ambuko, 2021). Take into consideration that processing 1 tonne of mango fruit into dried products can yield a net profit of around $1,600 USD for mango leather; however, this is dependent on local market prices, labour costs as well as processing efficiency (Owino & Ambuko, 2021).
In addition to economic benefits, dried mango retains important nutritional value. Solar drying, in particular, improves the retention of beta-carotene (vitamin A) compared to open sun drying, which is essential for supporting immune function and vision (Viola Salvador & Gómez Galindo, 2025; Ndawula et al., 2004). Dried mango also provides dietary fibre and minerals such as potassium, while still containing some vitamin C despite partial losses during drying (Fellows, 2017). In contrast, open sun drying (Option 1) can result in greater nutrient losses due to direct exposure to sunlight and oxygen (Ndawula et al., 2004).
This nutritional retention is especially important during the subsequent dry season, when access to fresh fruit is limited and micronutrient deficiencies are more common (FAO, 2018). In this period, dried mango can help supplement diets and improve food security. Additionally, once these drying methods are adopted, they can be applied to other fruits such as bananas and papaya, further increasing their value for smallholder farmers (Owino & Ambuko, 2021).
The profitability of dried mango production varies based on the relationship between the total production costs and the final product revenue (FAO, 2018). Costs of production usually include the purchase or opportunity cost of the mango fruit itself, labour (washing, peeling, slicing and drying), drying equipment or solar dryer construction, packaging materials as well as transportation to markets (FAO, 2018; Kitinoja & Kader, 2015). In many of the smaller scale systems the largest costs are labour and packaging, while the use of solar drying can significantly reduce the cost of energy compared to electric or fuel based dryers (Sivakumar et al., 2011). The easiest way to calculate revenue is to determine the selling price of dried mango and multiply it by the quantity produced; a simple profitability calculation would be: Profit = Total Revenue - Total Production Costs. Here, the total revenue is the selling price of dried mango multiplied by the quantity sold while the total production cost is comprised of the cost of raw fruit, labour, drying equipment, packaging and transportation. P = TR (selling price x quantity sold) - TPC (raw fruit cost + labour + drying equipment + packaging + transportation).
Figure 3. Profit margin of dried mango in Ghana (Owino & Ambuko, 2021).
Studies that analyze profitability show that dried mango processing plants can generate profit margins between 49-60% depending on regional production costs, labour availability and processing efficiency (Kingphadung et al., 2022).
Due to the fact that fresh mango contains a high moisture content approximately 6-10 kg of fresh fruit are needed to produce 1 kg of dried product, meaning that very careful management of raw fruit quality and efficiency of drying are critical to maximizing profit (Ndawula et al., 2004; Fellows, 2017). However, when drying is done efficiently and good manufacturing practices are followed to maintain product quality, the benefit-cost ratios for dried mango have been reported to exceed 2:1; thus, every dollar invested into the processing can return more than two dollars in revenue (FAO, 2018; Owino & Ambuko, 2021). In addition, dried mango enterprises create many employment opportunities within rural communities as activities such as mango preparation, drying and packaging requires labour (Kitinoja & Kader, 2015). As a result of this, small scale mango drying operations are to be considered one of the most economically accessible strategies for farmers in mango producing regions of Africa and Asia.
Critical analysis
While small scale mango drying offers clear economic and nutritional benefits, several practical factors influence its adoption. One key limitation is the initial infrastructure cost, particularity for the solar dryers; however, these costs can be reduced through cooperative models such as women’s groups or farmer organizations that share equipment and resources (FAO, 2018; Owino and Ambuko, 2021). In many cases, drying racks and simple solar dryers can also be constructed using locally available materials, improving accessibility and reducing reliance on external suppliers (Owino and Ambuko, 2021).
Gender dynamics are also important as mango processing activities are often carried out by women, providing opportunities for income generation and increased financial independence (Salazar-Camacho et al., 2022). However, profitability depends on access to reliable markets; farmers must access local demand and competition before investing in drying operations (FAO, 2018).
Labour availability and timing are additional considerations. Although the process is quite labour intensive, it is scalable, allowing individuals to begin production on a small scale and expand over time (Kitinoja & Kader, 2015). At the same time, drying must coincide with peak harvest periods to minimize spoilage, which may create labour challenges due to competing agricultural demands.
Conclusion
Overall, the drying of mango at a small-scale level has very strong potential as a low-cost value addition strategy that not only reduces post harvest losses but also improves income and nutrition. When implemented using low-cost strategies such as low-cost solar dryers and cooperative labour systems, the technology can achieve very positive profit margins and recover the initial investment costs quite quickly. Although, the long-term success of these systems varies depending on access to markets, training in food safety and processing techniques as well as community level organization to share costs and labour (FAO, 2018; Kitinoja & Kader, 2015).
Additional Resources
1. How a Solar Dryer Works for Drying Fruits
This is a short demonstration that shows how solar dryers are used to dry mango slices and other fruits.
2. How to Build a Chimney Solar Dryer
This is a short instructional video that demonstrates how to construct a low-cost chimney solar dryer using local materials.
3. How to Use a Chimney Solar Dryer
This explains how to properly load trays, rotate fruit during drying, and manage airflow in a chimney solar dryer.
4. Solar Fruit Drying Machines (Alibaba)
Alibaba has a great variety of small solar fruit dryers that can be used by small farms and rural processing groups, these dryers usually operate between 50-85 degrees Celsius.
References
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