Brazil loses nearly a third of its fruit due to simple errors
Brazil loses around 5.1 million metric tons (MT) of fruit a year due to lack of knowledge over selection, grading and packing, according to a senior industry figure.
Brazilian Fruit Institute president Moacyr Saraiva, told delegates at the Third International Symposium on Post-Harvest Fruit, Vegetables and Flowers, that this amount represented nearly a third of national production.
"It comes to US$2.3 billion a year, and that doesn't include foreign markets which do not accept products that do not meet established quality standards," he said.
Strawberries and bananas were particularly at risk with losses standing at 40% and 42% respectively.
Saraiva said another contributing factor was often incorrect transportation of fruit without refrigeration.
Photo: Igd.com
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