The Southeastern Vegetable Processing Industry: Marketing Practices and Management Problems, 1960

Excerpts from the report Summary: The purpose of this study is to evaluate processing as a market outlet for vegetables produced in the Southeast. The survey of the vegetable processing industry was conducted in the spring of 1961 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Information on their 1960 operations was supplied by 61 firms operating 70 processing plants. Only plants that processed fresh vegetables in the 1960 season were included in the survey. Processors indicated that their most severe management problem in 1960 was the inadequate supply of high quality raw vegetables for processing. Problems in marketing finished product were second in importance. Price competition from other processors selling the finished product, and the holding of processed vegetable inventories were also considered major marketing problems. Financing was an important problem to 56 percent of the processors in the Southeast. The most commonly mentioned causes of financial difficulties were the necessity for holding inventories of processed vegetables and the highly seasonal requirements for operating capital. Of all problems encountered by processors, labor was the least difficult. The most severe labor problem noted was that of keeping key and fulltime employees fully employed.