A lot of my vegetables get bruised and over ripe by the time they reach the market, cutting my price. How do I reduce these transport losses?
Most transport losses in vegetables come from harvesting at the wrong stage, rough handling and heat, all of which you can reduce. Harvest at the correct maturity and in the cool early morning or evening, handle gently to avoid bruising, and never overfill sacks where the bottom layers get crushed. Pack in clean, ventilated crates rather than tightly stuffed bags so air moves and produce is not squashed, and keep the load shaded and out of direct sun during transport. Remove damaged and diseased pieces before loading so they do not spoil the rest. Sending sorted, well packed produce quickly to market keeps quality and price high. For longer hauls of high value crops, ask whether a nearby pack house or cold chain transport is available through your FPO.
Switching from stuffed sacks to ventilated plastic crates cut my bruising a lot, and harvesting in the cool early morning kept the vegetables firmer. Buyers now pay me a better rate for cleaner produce. Never let the bottom layers get crushed under a heavy load.
Switching from stuffed sacks to ventilated plastic crates cut my bruising a lot, and harvesting early morning kept the vegetables fresher. Buyers now pay me a better rate for cleaner produce.
I remove damaged and diseased pieces before loading so one rotting piece does not spoil the rest on the way, and I keep the load shaded out of the sun. For longer hauls of high value crops I ask the FPO about cold chain transport. Getting sorted produce to market quickly is key.
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