CRPPH502-APPLICATION OF POST-HARVEST TECHNIQUES
Introduction
Postharvest is the final stage of production and any losses experienced at this point are more
severe as they represent wastage of all resources involved during production.
Both quantitative and qualitative losses occur at all stages in the post-harvest handling system
of the distribution chain of perishables (from harvesting, through handling, packing, storage
and transportation to final delivery of the fresh produce to the consumer.
Packing house operations can be as simple as moving produce from the field into a shipping
container or may include a variety of handling practices, from cleaning, waxing, sizing, and
quality grading to color sorting.