WELCOMEPostharvest HorticultureB.Sc. Ag 6th Semester

Institute of Agriculture and Animal ScienceLamjung Campus

Lamjung

Amit KhanalAssistant professor

Department of Horticulture and Plant Protection

Introduction Nepal grows a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers due to varied agro-climatic diversity

Horticultural produce are highly perishable commodities due to high moisture content and higher metabolic activities

Spoilage occur due to Physical factors, biochemical factors and entomological factors i.e. microbial attack, auto-oxidation and insect pest attack

As a result, about 25 to 30 per cent of the production is lost after harvest (loss of about 15-20% in non- perishable and 20-30% in perishables)

Contd… The role of PH is important for reduction of post harvest losses of fruits and vegetables and to make them available for longer period in the market

The goal of postharvest horticulture is to maintain quality and safety of the agricultural produce

Minimize losses of horticultural crops and their products between production and consumption

Reduction of postharvest losses ▪increases food availability to the growing human population,▪ decreases the area needed for production, ▪and conserves natural resources

PH can be defined as methods and techniques applied to increase the shelf – life and retain quality and safety of fresh or processed horticultural produce

PH deals about all the practices that are done after the harvest of the produce till consumption

The practices which are done to minimize the food loss after harvest

Contd…

HistoryGovernment of Nepal (then His majesty’s government of Nepal) , in coordination with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, launched Rural Save Grain Program (RSGP) in 1984.

It was renamed as Post Harvest Loss Reduction Division (PHLRD) under Plant Protection Division in 1992 to give continuation to post harvest activities of the project.

PHLRD initiated to work on handling and storage of perishable and storage of perishable commodities like fresh fruits and vegetables as these were in increasing trend in production and commercialization.

PHLRD was felt to be strengthen and upgraded to be an independent Directorate under department of agriculture (DOA) to technically cope up with the growing post harvest needs of commercialized high value crops and food security of the people.

While restructuring DOA in 2003, Post Harvest Management Directorate (PHMD) was established as one of the twelve Directorates under DOA.

Different practices of PH

Harvesting

Assembling

storage

World ScenarioRoughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption loss every year i.e. approximately 1.3 billion ton gets lost or wasted

Food losses and waste amounts to roughly US$ 680 billion in developed countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries

Industrialized and developing countries dissipate roughly the same quantities of food — respectively 670 and 630 million ton

Fruits and vegetables, plus roots and tubers have the highest wastage rates of any food

Global quantitative food losses and waste per year are roughly 30% for cereals, 40-50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables, 20% for oil seeds, meat and dairy plus 30% for fish

Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes)

The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world's annual cereals crop (2.3 billion tonnes in 2009/2010)

Per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kg a year in Europe and North America, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, south and south-eastern Asia, each throw away only 6-11 kg a year

Contd…

Total per capita food production for human consumption is about 900 kg a year in rich countries, almost twice the 460 kg a year produced in the poorest regions

In developing countries 40% of losses occur at post-harvest and processing levels while in industrialized countries more than 40% of losses happen at retail and consumer levels

At retail level, large quantities of food are wasted due to quality standards that over-emphasize appearance

Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labor and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.

Contd…

The food currently lost or wasted in Latin America could feed 300 million people

The food currently wasted in Europe could feed 200 million people

The food currently lost in Africa could feed 300 million people

Even if just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world

Food losses during harvest and in storage translate into lost income for small farmers and into higher prices for poor consumers

Contd…

In developing countries food waste and losses occur mainly at early stages of the food value chain and can be traced back to financial, managerial and technical constraints in harvesting techniques as well as storage and cooling facilities

Strengthening the supply chain through the direct support of farmers and investments in infrastructure, transportation, as well as in an expansion of the food and packaging industry could help to reduce the amount of food loss and waste

In medium- and high-income countries food is wasted and lost mainly at later stages in the supply chain

Differing from the situation in developing countries, the behavior of consumers plays a huge part in industrialized countries

Contd…

Importance Each year, 30 percent of global food production is lost after harvest

This represents 750 billion USD in terms of producer or farm gate prices, going up to almost a trillion US dollars of trade value of food every year – half the GDP of Italy

reducing food loss means we avoid using natural resources in the first place, leaving them available for next harvest or future generations

If we had to pay the bill to nature, what would food wastage cost us?

▪ The full economic, environmental and social costs of food waste amount to approximately 2.6 trillion US dollars annually.

Importance of Post-harvest technology lies in the fact that it has the capability to meet food requirement of growing population by eliminating losses

making more nutritive food items from raw commodities by proper processing and fortification

has potential to create rural industries Offseason availability, diversified products Export earnings and employment opportunities Garbage disposal, environment protection etc

Contd…

Contd…Increased food supply

PHM of produce include proper handling, packaging, storage, transportation and marketing, which can increase shelf-life and reduce the overall spoilage

PHM possess modern technologies like refrigerated storage, controlled and modified storage, and irradiation, which also increase the shelf-life of produce appreciably

PHM can save the produced food from spoilage for consumption and thereby help in increasing the food supply

Offseason availability All most all commodities are seasonal in nature

During production period there is surplus products in the market

During other season there is scarcity of the produce

By storage technology we can make the surplus in offseason also

Higher price

Contd…

Nutritional Security and Better healthSeveral essential nutrition are required for human health

Fruits and vegetables are the rich source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibers

All round availability

PHM saves several minerals and vitamins from being lost, and thus PHM is the only solution for nutritional security of growing population of the country

Contd…

Employment GenerationPHM activities such as harvesting, sorting, grading, and packaging can provide gainful employment to unskilled and skilled people

Processing of surplus and cull fruits and vegetables also generate employment

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Value Addition and product diversificationSurplus and cull fruits and vegetables can be processed into several value added products

PHM and processing can add value to the fresh as well processed products and the producer or farmer can get good return of his produce

Contd…

Export EarningSPS excellence is essential for marketing in international market

PH helps to ensure SPS

A large number of fruits and vegetables are traded in the world market

It is mainly because of good post harvest management practices, quality maintenance throughout the marketing channel and basic infrastructure of export

Contd…

Rural IndustrializationsPost harvest management and processing is essential for horticultural industry

PHM can take care of gluts and all possible wastage during distributional channel

Development of processing industry and packaging house units in the rural areas will help in rural industrialization as well

Contd…

Resource saving ▪used water for irrigation and increased water scarcity

▪cleared forests and eroded land▪Input saving

Garbage disposal and environment protection If food loss is minimum there will be less problem of garbage disposal

wasted food still: ▪caused greenhouse gas emissions and climate change damages

▪Pollution

Contd…

Economic Benefit 20-50% loss of commodities

We can save thousands tons of fruits and vegetables by preventing loss

Reduction of loss is more economical rather than to increase in production

It is difficult to increase 10% yield but it is easy to reduce 10% loss

Supply of fruits and vegetables can be significantly increased without bringing additional land inputs for production

Contd…

What can be done?Reducing food loss by raising awareness in every actor of value chain

Investing in improved post-harvest infrastructures

Food that is about to be wasted on the market can timely redirected to other sector

Research on different aspects of PH

Extension of proven practices

There is always abundance of produce at the production site but scarcity at the consumption place

Grower’s sale their produce at the lowest minimum price due to fear of spoilage

Middleman in the market takes heavy share, which increases the price of commodity many times

Consumer purchases the same commodities at a very high price in the cities

Training to growers in PHM activities can overcome this situation

Hence, growers will get a good price for their produce and consumers will have to pay a reasonable low price

Main factors responsible for lossHarvesting of immature or over mature products

Traditional and faulty harvesting techniques

Exposure of products to sun after harvest

Rough handling of the productsDumping of products on heap at collection centers

Minimum sorting/grading of damaged products at the selling and collection centers

Mishandling during packagingUse of improper packages during transportation from collection centers to wholesale markets

Use of ordinary trucks and buses for transportation

Rough road conditions

Rough handling during loading and unloading

Use of ordinary rooms for storing the fruits and vegetables at the wholesale market and retail market

Display of fruits and vegetables on the open ground during selling at wholesale and retail markets

Contd…

ProblemsSmall and scattered production pockets

Lack of co-ordination between research and extension system

Inadequate postharvest technologies and storage facilities

Inadequate technical personnel on postharvest technology

Inadequate attention of government agencies

Lack of private sector involvementInfrastructure development

Thank YouCaring the earth, feeding the world: World

Food Day, 2014

Zero food loss and Zero hunger is the main aim of PH