Cropping
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that can spread from crop to
crop.
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.
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.
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.
Keep pallets clean. Consider
switching to plastic pallets,
which are easier to clean.
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.
www.farmersreviewafrica.com
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
[45]FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
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.
July - August 2016