Articles
Survey of vegetable sorting solutions used by Brazilian Federal District growers
Article number
1120_50
Pages
329 – 336
Language
English
Abstract
Vegetables need to be graded (‘classified’) according to agreed standards for each product in the market.
The purpose of classification is to provide the seller and the buyer with a language, valid and safe, to enable agile negotiation of prices.
In virtual commercialization, using digital communication tools, classification is no longer optional: it is indispensable.
Classification prevents rework and misunderstandings related to inferior products with injuries and defects that induce contamination and losses associated with product disposal or reductions in sales value.
In the Brazilian Federal District, as well as in other areas of Brazil, we observed that growers sell their vegetables, in most instances, without doing the work of sorting the product, a lack of investment that reduces their business performance.
The perceived savings, in these cases, however, are transferred to the buyers who offer lower prices.
The procedure as a whole is slower, involves rework and can cause increased costs and losses away from the farm, besides some reduction in freshness.
In this work, 30 producers of typical vegetables of the Federal District, 75% of whom trade their vegetables without the use of classification, were studied.
The possibility of using simple classification with minimal handling, using packaging containers arranged on a transporter was demonstrated.
The proposed sorting alternative indicated that more growers could start sorting their vegetables for commercialization and achieve better profitability.
The purpose of classification is to provide the seller and the buyer with a language, valid and safe, to enable agile negotiation of prices.
In virtual commercialization, using digital communication tools, classification is no longer optional: it is indispensable.
Classification prevents rework and misunderstandings related to inferior products with injuries and defects that induce contamination and losses associated with product disposal or reductions in sales value.
In the Brazilian Federal District, as well as in other areas of Brazil, we observed that growers sell their vegetables, in most instances, without doing the work of sorting the product, a lack of investment that reduces their business performance.
The perceived savings, in these cases, however, are transferred to the buyers who offer lower prices.
The procedure as a whole is slower, involves rework and can cause increased costs and losses away from the farm, besides some reduction in freshness.
In this work, 30 producers of typical vegetables of the Federal District, 75% of whom trade their vegetables without the use of classification, were studied.
The possibility of using simple classification with minimal handling, using packaging containers arranged on a transporter was demonstrated.
The proposed sorting alternative indicated that more growers could start sorting their vegetables for commercialization and achieve better profitability.
Authors
R.F.A. Luengo, A.G. Calbo
Keywords
shelf life, commercialization, quality, logistic, postharvest
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