The post harvest loss in India’s fruits and vegetables sector accounts for about 25% to 30% of production. Further, the quality of sizeable quantity of produces also deteriorates the moment it reaches the consumer. This happens because of perishable nature of the products. If consumption is not getting stabilised, the farmers switch over to other crops instead of going for one crop in the subsequent year, and cycle continues. Introduction of Cold storage / Cold room facility will help farmers in removing the risk of distress sale and simultaneously will ensure better returns. The annual production of fruits and vegetables in the country accounts for 18 to 20% of our agriculture output. Varied agro-climatic conditions and better availability of scientific package of practices, there is a vast scope for increasing the production. The lack of cold storage / cold room facilities is one of the main bottlenecks in tapping the potential. In Karnataka the cold storage facilities are very less. The cold storages, which are available in the State, are mostly to store single commodity like potato, which results in poor capacity utilisation. Introduction of cold storage/cold chain facilities in the State can prove to be a boon for the horticulture farmers.
In Karnataka around sixty-five percent population depend on Agriculture. Upliftment of those categories can improve the overall status of the State. Post-harvest cooling rapidly removes field heat, reduces respiratory – activity, reduce internal water, wilting, slow the growth of microorganism and reduces the production of natural ripening agent i.e. ethylene. Post-harvest cooling also provides marketing flexibility by allowing the grower to sell produce at the most appropriate time. Unavailability cooling and storage facilities, makes it necessary to market the produce immediately after harvest and may result in distress sale. This can be advantageous to growers who supply products to restaurants and grocery stores or to small growers who wait to assemble truck load for transportation to another place. Post-harvest cooling can be an effective tool to deliver highest qualitative produce to the consumer. Intervention through Post-harvest cooling will help the farmers to store their produces and market them at the opportune time. Visit RootsGoods for our scope of work.