What steps should be taken to minimize the risk of spoilage and wastage of the harvested produce during packing and transportation?
What factors need to be considered while transporting these to over long distances? What packing materials should be used? Let us see and try to understand all these aspects.
Harvested produce should be collected in a suitable container and well packed, and then transported quickly to the destination, without exposing it to the potentially adverse effects of sun, rain or wind. The packing of produce directly into marketing packages in the field at harvest reduces the damage caused by multiple handling and is used increasingly by commercial growers. Most developing countries use traditional baskets, sacks and trays to carry produce to markets. These are usually of low-cost, made from readily available materials such as dried grass, palm leaves or bamboo. They serve the purpose for freh produce carried over short distances, but they have many disadvantages in big loads carried long distances.Farm roads should be kept in good condition for transporting the fresh produce without damage. Containers must be loaded on vehicles carefully and stacked in