Project final report

Improved postharvest management of fruit and vegetables in the southern Philippines and Australia - final report

Date released
26 November 2019
ISBN
978-1-922345-99-8
Publication Code
HORT/2012/098
Authors

Jenny Ekman

Overview

This project is reducing postharvest product and quality losses, and developing physical facilities and research skills for postharvest advancement in the Southern Philippines. 

Vegetable consumption in the Southern Philippines is very low, averaging less than 30kg annually and resulting in increased rates of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. 

While this low consumption is partly due to cultural preferences for meat and rice, price and availability are also significant barriers. 

Fruit and vegetable prices are inflated by large losses through the supply chain – waste between harvest and retail is commonly 20-30%, while losses at retail could account for another 10-40% of total volume produced. Reduced waste would benefit farmers as well as consumers.

This project aimed to determine where and why postharvest loss occurs in selected supply chains; reduce losses and improve quality of fruit and vegetables through development of effective postharvest intervention strategies; develop active, profitable and sustainable linkages between farmers and retailers; and build postharvest research capacity in the Southern Philippines.