Waxing Technology to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables

Many times farmers complain that they do not get prices for their produce.

Very true, and the reason is obvious. They do not go to customer directly. They do not market their goods. In these days of market oriented economy, it is a crime not to market one’s goods directly to consumers.

In our country @ 40% produce is waited for want of facilities for preservation and processing. The processing industry processes but a very small portion of produce. In developed countries @ 60% produce is processed.

Indian farmers gets 15 paisas out of the rupee spent by the consumers on food items, where as in developed countries farmers get 60%. This is because of their ability to preserve and process their technology.

Waxing is one such technology suitable for preservation of fruits and vegetables. By this method we can increase the shelf life of agro-produce by more than two weeks. This gives breathing time for marketing. This will also increase the market.

Farmers from Shrigonda in Ahmadnagar district produce lemons. At present they have to market the produce in the market yards of Bombay and Pune. Delhi, Jaipur and Calcutta markets can pay higher even after considering transport costs. But these long distances dictate that the shelf life should be increased.

Let us look at the agro-produce like, lemons, oranges, apples, parawal, and pomegranate. You will see shine on the out surface. This shining comes because of natural waxes. When this wax/ evaporates the fruit become dry. Wax prevents evaporation of water in the produce. So by increasing the layer of wax, shelf life can be increased. This is a special type of wax. It can be easily purchased from the market or can be manufacture in a tiny scale factory.

When we see a fruit under microscope we can see small holes like those on our skin. By applying wax these holes are blocked so water in the produce cannot come out. So the shelf life is increased.

Process lines: - For preservation of lemons, oranges and other such items processing lines are common in developed countries. These systems consist of washing, air drying, grading, sanitizing and waxing before packing. At present 2 ton per hour processing line costs around 20 lakhs of rupees. Waxing expenses are very low i.e. as low as 5 to 10 paisas per lemon. But this results in extension of shelf life of lemons by over 3 weeks without refrigeration of course waxed fruits like lemons, oranges, mosambies can be kept in cold storage which will further enhance the shelf life.

For the small farmers, he can learn the technique and can manually wax his lemons.

Waxing techniques is in vague in developed countries. USDA has approved this technique, so there is no problem for exports.

In these days of market oriented economy, consumers will always prefer more attractive, Juicy, fresher produce.

So, Pick up only correctly ripe fruits

1. Picking the fruits is an art. Fruits should not get injury during plucking.

2. Put the fruits in water as soon as plucked to remove inside heat.
3. The harvested fruits must be kept in shadow.
4. Use crates for transporting
5. Grading and weighing should be done in your farm

Well, take such precautions and sell fresher fruits and earn more profits.