Postharvest handling of mango and banana to minimize losses: a case study in Bangladesh.
Roy K.
Author Affiliation: Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
Proceedings of the International Conference on Postharvest Technology and Quality Management in Arid Tropics, Sultanate of Oman, 31 January-2 February, 2005 : 83-87
Abstract : In Bangladesh fruits are generally handled and transported from one place to another in bulk, in gunny bags, bamboo baskets and temporarily packing with leaves. As a result, a significant amount of fruits are injured/damaged and also qualitative loss occurs. A research project was carried out in Chapainawabganj and Bogra districts to develop suitable packages for the minimization of long distance transportation loss of mango and banana, respectively during June to August 2004. Four different types of packages such as corrugated fibre board (CFB) cartons, wooden boxes, plastic crates and bamboo baskets were used for the transportation of mango. No transportation loss was observed in any packages. Better quality mangoes were obtained after transportation in CFB cartons, wooden boxes and crates compared to traditional bamboo baskets. Additional costs of 2 to 3 Tk/kg for packaging can be offset by premium price of good quality mangoes. For bulk carrying of mangoes, 20 kg plastic crates and 25 to 30 kg CFB cartons and for supermarket selling, 5 and 10 kg cartons are better. For the transportation of bananas plastic crates, CFB cartons and bamboo baskets were used as packaging materials in addition to traditional method of transporting bunches heaped on the truck. Physical injury of bananas packed in plastic crates, CFB cartons, bamboo baskets and bunches were 4.5, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.1 per cent, respectively. In terms of packaging cost, the plastic crate was the cheapest and can be used for 5 to 6 years. Though bamboo baskets are cheaper and traditionally used, quite significant loss of fruits occurred.