Present Set Up Of Post-Harvest Infrastructure in Punjab for Export of Kinnow
The following post-harvest infrastructure has been established by Punjab Government for post-harvest handling and marketing of Kinnow fruits.
- Six washing, grading, waxing plants at Hoshiarpur, Fazilka and Muktsar
• Two processing units for processing of kinnow juice at Hoshiarpur and Abohar.
• Five citrus estates Hoshiarpur (Chhauni Kalan and Bhunga), Fazilka (Abohar and Jattan Tahliwala) and Muktsar (Badal).
• One pack house equipped with cold rooms and pre-cooling unit at Badal
• Some progressive farmers have established their own waxing and grading lines and cold chain solutions such as cold stores, preccling units and refrigerated vehicles at Abohar and adjoining area.
Important Guidelines for Export Marketing
Harvesting
The best period for harvesting of Kinnow fruit is from mid-January to mid-February. The fruits should be cut with clippers, close to the peel of the fruits retaining shortest stalk and green button. The later is taken as sign of freshness as naturally dropped fruits don’t retain the green button. All necessary precautions should be taken to prevent injuries, any contamination or cross contamination of the product after picking.
Waxing
World over, citrus fruits are waxed with edible coating. During mechanical sorting and washing brushes removes natural waxes from the peel surface, leading to faster rate of water loss and shriveling and these natural waxes are replaced with coatings, primarily of plant origin. The coatings, primarily based on Shellac, Carnauba and bees wax have been approved by Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). Use only those waxes, which are safe and approved by CODEX and regulatory authorities. The wax coating helps in checking the water loss from fruit surface, thereby, preventing the aging of fruits during transportation and marketing. It also imparts fresh glossy appearance, which enhances the market value. The waxing of fruits can be done either mechanically (spray brush or spray nozzle type application) or manually (with foam pad, mist spray or dip method). After waxing, the fruits are again dried at temperature of 30-35°C. The washing and waxing should preferably be done before fruits are sent to market.
The fruits should be cut with clippers, close to the peel of the fruits retaining shortest stalk and green button
The wax coating helps in checking the water loss from fruit surface, thereby, preventing the aging of fruits during transportation and marketing.
Grading
For getting premium price and assuring quality to consumers, the fruits are graded for different sizes. The various grades recommended for Kinnow fruits by APEDA are as under:
For getting premium price and assuring quality to consumers, the fruits are graded for different sizes.
Packaging
The fruits should be packed in corrugated fibre board boxes, having 10 kg capacity. Usually two pieces, telescopic, CFB boxes of five ply with waterproof coating to tolerate high humidity during shipment are preferred. Normally, a box of size 45 cm x 24 cm x 18 cm having 10 kg capacity is very common and acceptable for export marketing. The box must have 5% area punched as holes for ventilation. A divider having ventilation holes is inserted in between layers, which will act as cushioning material. It has been seen that 10 Kg boxes containing 45-60 Kinnow fetch maximum price in markets.
A divider having ventilation holes is inserted in between layers, which will act as cushioning material.
The fruits should be transported from packhouse to sea port in refrigerated maintained at 5-7°C.
It must be ensured that temperature of the cold store should not fall below 5°C otherwise it can result into chilling injury.
Pre-cooling
After packaging the fruits should be kept in precooling units at 6-8°C and 90-95% RH for 6-8 hours in order to achieve the desired temperature of fruits before transportation under refrigerated conditions.
Transportation
The fruits should be transported from packhouse to sea port in refrigerated maintained at 5-7°C and thereafter in ship; it should be transported to destination markets under same temperature.
Storage
The fruits should be stored in cold store at 5-7°C and 90-95% RH. It must be ensured that temperature of the cold store should not fall below 5°C otherwise it can result into chilling injury. Unbruised and mature Kinnows can be stored up to 45 days at 5-7°C and 90-95% RH with acceptable quality.
Marketing
The farmers and entrepreneurs are advised to make their own association for marketing their quality produce by creating the post-harvest infrastructure. It will help in minimizing their exploitation in the hands of traders. Many agencies like APEDA and Punjab Agro Industrial Corporation (PAIC) are promoting and facilitating distant marketing of Kinnow. The desirous farmers should contact these agencies and Department of Horticulture of Punjab and PAU, Ludhiana for help and guidance. Various schemes are available for creation of post-harvest infrastructure under national Horticulture Mission programme. The farmers and traders can contact or visit the offices of Punjab State Department of Horticulture at block or district level for further information and guidance.
The cold chain infrastructure is helping the Punjab horticulturists in the export of kinnow fruit. This cold chain needs to be maintained properly for long economical and efficient operation.
Especially, the refrigeration equipment needs to be serviced periodically to repair faults and maintained to prevent faults before they happen. Appropriate plant maintenance will save money through reduced energy bills, reduced service costs and less plant downtime. Appointing a good maintenance contractor is the key to achieving these savings.
Good Maintenance Saves Money
- Maximizing plant efficiency and therefore, reducing electricity costs
• Reducing equipment failure and the costs associated with plant downtime and stock or product loss
The cost of a suitable maintenance contract depends on the complexity and size of the system. Typically, the annual maintenance cost is between 2% and 5% of the original capital cost of the plant, but you’re likely to save up to 10 times the maintenance cost through greater energy efficiency. In addition, you can also reduce service costs and lost production costs.
Cleaning condensers and evaporator can reduce energy consumption by up to 10%; Finding and repairing leak and correcting the refrigerant charge can reduce energy use by up to 15%.
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