By Harshad Mandage

1. Postharvest Management of
Horticulture Produce
Harshad M Mandge
Assistant Professor (PHT)
College of Horticulture
Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, Banda

2. India and Agriculture
• India ranks 2nd after China in total food production globally.
• India ranks no 1 in the world in the production of Milk, Ghee, Ginger, Bananas,
Guavas, Papayas and Mangoes. Further, India ranks no 2 in the world in the
production of Rice, Wheat and several other vegetables & fruits.
• India has diverse agro-climatic conditions and has a large and diverse raw material
base suitable for food processing companies.
• With the huge production base India can easily become the leading food supplier to
the world and at the same time serving its vast growing domestic market with over
a billion people.
• In developing country markets, higher incomes result in diet upgrades, with
declining share of traditional commodities in production, consumption and trade,
horticulture and other nontraditional, high value, agricultural crops represent an
important area of potential income growth in rural areas.
• Sustained economic growth and increasing urbanization are fueling rapid growth in
demand for high value food commodities like fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs
and fish
• Middle class (estimated to be around 350-375 million)- added advantage
• There is an increasing trend of a shift from food security to nutritional security and
convenience shopping.

3. Horticulture Vs Food Grain Production

4. Share of production of Horticulture crops

5. Share of Horticulture output in Agri Output

6. Major Fruits in India
Fruit Area
( milliion ha)
Production
(MMT)
Production Share,%
Banana 0.8 29.7 33.4
Mango 2.5 18.4 20.7
Citrus
Orange/lime/lemon
1.1 11.2 12.5
Papaya 0.1 5.6 6.3
Guava 0.3 3.7 4.1
Apple 0.1 2.6 3.9
Pineapple 0.3 2.5 2.0
Sapota 0.2 1.7 1.9
Grape 0.1 1.7 2.9
Pomegranate 0.1 1.5 1.5
Litchi 0.1 0.6 0.7
Others 1.5 9.9 11.1
Total 7.2 88.97

7. Major Vegetables of India
Vegetable Area
( million ha)
Production
(MMT)
Production Share,
%
Potato 2.0 41.6 25.5
Tomato 1.2 19.4 11.5
Onion 0.9 18.7 11.9
Brinjal 0.7 13.6 8.3
Cabbage 0.4 9.0 5.5
Cauliflower 0.4 8.6 5.3
Okra 0.5 6.3 3.9
Pea 0.4 3.9 2.4
Sweet potato 0.1 1.1 0.7
Others 2.5 32.6 20.0
Total 9.4 162.9

8. Leading Fruit Producing states

9. Leading Vegetable Producing States

10. Postharvest Management
• Postharvest management is a set of post-production practices that
includes: cleaning, washing, selection, grading, disinfection, drying,
packing and storage.
• Eliminate undesirable elements and improve product appearance
• Ensuring that the product complies with established quality
standards for fresh and processed products.
• To maximize added value
• Postharvest practices include the management and control of
variables such temperature and relative humidity, the selection and
use of packaging, and the application of such supplementary
treatments as fungicides

11. Some important Terms
• Physiological maturity : It is the stage when a fruit is capable of further development or
ripening when it is harvested i.e. ready for eating or processing.
• Horticultural maturity : It refers to the stage of development when plant and plant part
possesses the pre-requisites for use by consumers for a particular purpose i.e. ready for
harvest.
• Ripe: It is derived from Saxon word ‘ Ripi ’, which means gather or reap. This is the condition
of maximum edible quality attained by the fruit following harvest. Only fruit which becomes
mature before harvest can become ripe.
• Ripening: Ripening involves a series of changes occurring during early stages of senescence
of fruits in which structure and composition of unripe fruit is so altered that it becomes
acceptable to eat.
• Ripening is a complex physiological process resulting in softening, coloring, sweetening and
increase in aroma compounds so that ripening fruits are ready to eat or process.
• The associated physiological or biochemical changes are increased rate of respiration and
ethylene production, loss of chlorophyll and continued expansion of cells and conversion of
complex metabolites into simple one.
• Senescence: Senescence can be defined as the final phase in the ontogeny of the plant organ
during which a series of essentially irreversible events occur which ultimately leads to cellular
breakdown and death.

12. Nature of Management for
Horticultural Produce
• Horticultural produce is alive and has to stay alive long after
harvest.
• It is a living material it uses up oxygen and gives out carbon
dioxide.
• harvesting is a kind of amputation
• Once harvested and separated from its sources of water and
nourishment it must inevitably die.
• appreciation of horticultural diversity
• Specific needs of each horticultural commodity
• Quality cannot be improved after harvest, only maintained
• Climacteric V/s Non-climacteric fruits

13. Quality Attributes
• Appearance: color intensity, color uniformity,
glossiness, absence of defects in shape or skin
finish
• Texture: Firmness, crispiness, juiciness, toughness
• Flavor: Sweeteness, acidity, astringency and
bitterness.
• Nutritional Value: Vitamins and Minerals
• Safety: Toxic substances, chemical contaminants,
Microbial contaminants

14. Classification of Horticultural
Commodity

15. Post Harvest Losses & Management
• Postharvest losses refer to measurable quantity and quality loss of food crops at
harvest, storage, transportation, processing, marketing and preparation before
consumption
• Post-harvest losses can be minimized to a greater extent by creation of
uninterrupted cold chain infrastructure linking the farm gate to the retail outlet.
• Efficient and adequate storage and transportation facilities will not only result in
more income to the farmers but also in steady supply of food products at retail
outlets.
• Postharvest Management helps to reduce wastages, ensure value addition,
promote crop diversification
(ICAR-CIPHET,2015)
Crops Wastage (%)
Cereals 4.65-5.09
Pulses 6.36-8.41
Oil seeds 3.08-9.96
Fruits & Vegetables 4.58-15.88
Fisheries (Inland) 5.23
Fisheries (Marine) 10.52
Meat 2.71
Poultry 6.74

17. Sorting & Grading

18. Packaging

19. Packaging

20. Transportation

22. Storage
• Store only high quality produce, free of damage, decay and of proper maturity (not over-ripe or under-
mature).
• Know the requirements for the commodities you want to put into storage, and follow recommendations
for proper temperature, relative humidity and ventilation.
• Avoid lower than recommended temperatures in storage, because many commodities are susceptible to
damage from freezing or chilling.
• Do not over load storage rooms or stack containers closely
• Provide adequate ventilation in the storage room.
• Keep storage rooms clean.
• Storage facilities should be protected from rodents by keeping the immediate outdoor area clean, and
free from trash and weeds.
• Containers must be well ventilated and strong enough to with stand stacking. Do not stack containers
beyond their stacking strength.
• Monitor temperature in the storage room by placing thermometers at different locations.
• Don’t store onion or garlic in high humidity environments.
• Avoid storing ethylene sensitive commodities with those that produce ethylene.
• Avoid storing produce known for emitting strong odors (apples, garlic, onions, turnips, cabbages, and
potatoes) with odor-absorbing commodities.
• Inspect stored produce regularly for signs of injury, water loss, damage and disease.
• Remove damaged or diseased produce to prevent the spread of problems

23. Marketing