Post Harvest Losses in Fruits and Vegetables, Their Extent and Methods of Control

Post-harvest losses in fruits, vegetables, food crops and other perishable commodities, if effectively controlled, could feed millions of people now suffering from hunger and malnutrition in many parts of the world. Probably the heaviest losses occur in fruits and vegetables. Mature fruits and vegetables are highly susceptible to invasion by specific pathogenic micro-organisms. This is because they have a high water and nutrient content. After harvest they are no longer protected by the intrinsic factors which make them resistant during their development on the plant. Growth cracks and mechanical injuries during harvest, transport and storage are also responsible for the losses. The losses vary between various types of fruits and in different seasons of the year. The losses in the soft fruits during the summer months in a tropical region would be far more than in winters in the same area. To meet the world's current and future food demand many developmental programs aimed at increased production and population control have long been initiated all over the world. In the recent years, the potential to control the post-harvest losses has also been recognised as an effective means of increasing the capacity of current level of production 10 feed the existing and the ever increasing population. There is now a better appreciation of the problem both among producer and consumer alike.