Cropping that can spread from crop to crop.
Ÿ Use your harvest containers and tools only for produce. Never use them for storing chemicals or as trash containers. Use separate containers for collecting culls during grading and packing.
Ÿ Inspect reusable containers before harvest to make sure they are in good repair and free of splinters, nails, or other embedded objects. Food-contact totes, bins, and other harvest containers that cannot be repaired or adequately cleaned should be thrown away.
Ÿ During the off-season, best practices are to store foodcontact harvest containers indoors off the floor in a clean, dry place. If containers must be stored outside, clean and sanitize them before using them the next year.
Ÿ Keep pallets clean. Consider switching to plastic pallets, which are easier to clean.
Ÿ Develop standard operating procedures for sanitizing picking containers and harvest equipment.
Packaging decision could spell success or failure in the agriculture sector-MPACT Selecting the correct packaging is a fundamental decision for players in beleaguered agriculture sector.
Suppliers to local and international markets depend heavily on the durability of their chosen packaging to protect their produce on the journey from field to shelf.. Bruce Strong, CEO of leading paper and packaging company Mpact, says that innovation in the design and science behind packaging yields significant benefits in terms of cost savings, efficiency, brand equity and recognition. Mpact is the largest provider of corrugated and plastic packaging solutions to the South African agricultural sector. Innovative packaging solutions are the result of a number of important considerations regarding durability, weight, size and type of materials used. Packaging, whether corrugated or plastic, must be robust enough to protect the produce through to the retailer and ultimately, the consumer, to ensure that farmers get the best price for their goods. Packaging also needs to have vertical strength when stacked to withstand up to 1 500 kilograms on the bottom layer. This is where the science behind packaging becomes critical; it needs to be robust enough for stacking and light enough to remain economical. Transport is a large cost for the agriculture sector and through innovation in light-weighting, Mpact is able to achieve cost reductions for their customers. In Mpact ' s Plastics division, the use of plastic jumbo bins instead of the traditional wooden bins has shown significant financial benefits in the agriculture industry. A study conducted for a fruit farm in the Grabouw-Elgin area in the Western Cape revealed total cost savings of R138.69 per bin per annum when switching from traditional wooden bins to Mpact ' s Jumbo Bins, with a payback period of three years.. Plastic bins weigh 45 % less than wooden bins, which enables quicker and safer handling and stacking. Bins can be vertically stacked up to eight units high because of a positive interlocking mechanism, which is safer than wooden bin and also means that more produce can be transported. Furthermore, the inbuilt ventilation reduces cooling time and saves energy, and a clean, non-porous surface provides a hygienic, bacteria-free environment. Ultimately this means that the produce arrives at its destination in a better condition when compared to wooden bins. Mpact Plastic Containers manufactures a range of plastic containers used in the harvesting and processing of fruit and vegetables, while Mpact Corrugated manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of printed and unprinted converted corrugated products, including board, which we use to manufacture corrugated packaging, corrugated boxes, diecut cases, folded glued cases, trays and point-of-sale displays. All packaging is custom-made to specific customer needs and can be printed as required on site.
www. farmersreviewafrica. com July- August 2016
FARMERS
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