A LOOK AT POSTHARVEST IN IRAN

Being a developing country Iran is the 7^th major horticultural producer.
Official statistical reports state Saffron and cut flowers as having the least and the highest postharvest loss of about 0.006 and 33.0 percent respectively.
They also report postharvest losses in Iran as being six more times than the world’s mean, which is equal to the food needed for 20 million people.
However, nonofficial specialists report 35% as the minimum loss and in some cases they estimate it over 50% which is over 20 million tons, worthing over 100 million dollars.
The major problem in controlling this great postharvest loss is that the Ministry of Agriculture is only responsible for the production of agricultural products; while on the other hand the postharvest losses are under the authority of other ministries and organizations.
In this article factors effecting postharvest losses in Iran, recent developments and approaches in reducing them, and finally the rate of production, qualitative and quantitative loss and reduction, export-import, and postharvest losses per capita for most of the horticultural products are given.

V International Postharvest Symposium

M.M. Jowkar, Z. Farshadfar, H. Mohammadpour, A. Jowkar

developing country, Iran, horticulture, horticultural extension, losses, postharvest losses

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.682.297