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Surekha Sule
Mumbai, Nov 9: Absence of storage facilities is a major reason for the farmers getting uneconomical prices during the harvest. Once the harvest season comes to an end, prices rise as the farmers have little to sell, leading to middlepersons making money, says Limji Nanabhoy, director of Agro-Science (India) Pvt Ltd.
While addressing a session on agro infrastructure during the Agro-Advantage Maharashtra, he said the agro industry needs to manage post-harvest activities with great care to stop deterioration till the produce reaches the final consumer.
Bad handling leads to high perishability and we witness either a glut situation or a scarcity causing wide swings in prices, he explained.
Few examples of wild fluctuations include onions and apples. Onion was Rs 3 per kg during peak season but skyrocketed to Rs 30 due to shortages. Apples cost Rs 200-300 per 18 kg box during October-November and rises to Rs 500-600 during March-June.
In June this year, there was a glut of onion. However, at the sametime, the Mumbai-Agra road was blocked with tractors and trailers carrying onions since the central government agency could not buy them at Rs 3 per kg and store it!. Naturally this led to a severe shortage and the result is here, he said. India needs collection centres equipped with hydrocooling systems where farmers can get their perishable produce chilled before sending it to the market. Also Ghana is setting up a series of hydrocoolers at various location where farmers can have their fruits and vegetables processed at a reasonable charge.
Such cold chains start at the point of harvest. Correct types of crates, trays, boxes, shade netting, are important for keeping the tast and quality of the produce and reduce the damage. Rapid transport, preferably chilled, to a collection centre is the ideal. Rapid removal of the field heat from the produce is vital for quality and extended shelf life.
Majority of India's cold storage is of old style of refrigeration with standard evaporators which actuallyremoves moisture. That is why apples are mostly moistureless and virtually tasteless, not crunchy and juicy.
Nanabhoy suggests the opportunities for investment in cold storage properly built with modern materials and technology and in investment of temperature controlled trucks.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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