This paper describes the detail design and performance of a prototype, low cost and simple solar dryer coupled with a vertical flat plate collector chimney for drying 20 kg of field harvest high moisture paddy. This unit consisted of an inclined collector (20.6°), a batch dryer and a vertical collector chimney, all joined in series and positioned due south. The absorber and cover for both collectors were 1 m 2 (2 × 0.5 m) matt black painted corrugated G.I. sheet and 3 mm polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), respectively. The experiments during the winter months showed an average rise of air temperatures of 21.8 and 27.1°C for the inclined and the vertical collectors, respectively, with an average air flow rate of 0.6707 m 3/min (0.22 m/s) through the chimney. A 33% reduction in air flow rate was observed with 7 cm depth of grain (20 kg) in the dryer, when the average rise of air temperature in the inclined collector was increased to 68.5°C. The 20 kg field harvested paddy took 9 h to reduce the moisture content from 31 to 13% (d.b.), a saving of 7 h compared to open field sun drying.