Its Solar Dryer Dome, created first five years ago, provides a greenhouse-like shelter to dry goods, allowing sunlight through while keeping away rain and pests.
Made from what Covestro says are super-durable polycarbonates, it cuts the wastage and losses arising from the traditional method and easily doubles or triples incomes for the agrarian sector.
The invention can raise the incomes of struggling farmers and reduce the country’s ballooning household debt, recognised as a massive obstacle to the economy.
Dr Daniel Koch, managing director of Covestro Thailand, said the company has a large manufacturing plant in Maptaphut, Rayong province, where it employs 600 workers.
In the coastal province, with its orchards, farms and fishing villages, Koch saw “the big amount of waste that comes from drying food items such as shrimp, fish, fruits and vegetables”.
Covestro began seeking ways to improve living standards in the communities where its operations were located as a critical part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
“At the time we were a part of Bayer Thailand. After the split in 2015, Covestro continued to help the communities with the dome project,” Koch said.
“We found that 40 per cent or more of the crops harvested never make it to the market or dinner table. If we can salvage this portion, it automatically doubles the productivity and incomes for these communities.
“Much of the drying today is still done in the open air, often on the ground under a mat. But a large amount is eaten by pests like rodents and insect, while rain and wind can ruin the crops.”
Covestro found a capable ally in Thai inventor Dr Serm Janjai of Silpakorn University who was working on the same strategy. Serm is credited as the creator of the dome while the company lent the materials that made it durable and efficient.
The greenhouse-effect protects the dried items from the elements while utilising the maximum power of the sun, enabling high quality food that can be stored and lasts for years. This could ease food shortages in a world where undeveloped countries suffer from uncontrolled population growth amid poverty.
It took only a short time for the dome’s usefulness to be recognised abroad. It is now used and produced globally from Thailand to India and Africa.
Asean countries rich in agriculture such as Indonesia and Vietnam have quickly embraced the Thai invention to secure higher production.
“The smaller dome measuring about 15 square metres costs about 500 euros (Bt190,000). That is not cheap for many farmers. But it lasts at least 10 years,” Koch said.
“To help them gain financing, Covestro worked with Thai banks to issue the loans. So we also needed to explain to the lenders that it will work and the money will be repaid.
“When companies do CSR programmes, they must touch the people on the ground level.”
Thai saying
The Thai saying that teaching a poor man how to fish is far better to giving him free fish applies to the Convestro case where teaching people how to dry food can change their lives forever. This initiative is giving a boost to its reputation as a responsible global player. Since split from Bayer, its business ranking has soared.
To be sure, until the arrival of these domes, drying was often disorganised and not hygienic. Rice farmers still dry grains on roadsides, a practice prone to theft.
“Farmers who reap the rewards of the dome now use surplus cash to reinvest in more domes,” Koch said.
This natural cycle in capital expansion forms the pillar of prosperity in any economic order.
Moreover, it reduces the need for government assistance and costly subsidies as well as avoid the pitfalls of entitlement schemes.
Based in Luverkusen, where much of Covestro’s research is conducted, the company is also involved with United Nation initiatives to conserve and protect the planet as well as fight climate change.
In Thailand, Covestro is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
“We recently held a week-long workshop in Rayong for students from Asean countries to learn how the Kingdom is conserving, protecting and contributing to a cleaner environment, Koch added. “ The solar dryer visiting dome is a key feature of their educational tour.
At the same time, Covestro has also published a children’s book called “Bright Minds for a Brighter Future” with cartoon characters warning about the irresponsible disposal of plastic bags. The practice harms marine life, destroying the corals that are vital food sources for plankton.
“We are doing as much as we possibly can to spread awareness,” said Koch.
In the end it is all about customer satisfaction. The people who buy the dome dried products are over the moon, appreciating its higher quality, hygiene and taste, Koch said. In the case of Rayong’s famous “kapi” or dried shrimp paste, customers are delighted by it is absence of insect parts and its appearance.
Because of the better quality, they are selling more, noted Koch. In return, more domes are bought, benefiting all, not least Covestro itself.
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