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Grading and sorting of fresh produce for long-haul markets

Grading and sorting of fresh fruits and vegetables is the post-harvest step in which produce is separated by size, colour, firmness and freedom from defects and packed to specified norms for despatch. In India the practice is governed by AGMARK quality standards under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937 (amended 1986), supplemented by ICAR-CIPHET post-harvest handling protocols.

Principle

Long-haul transport of perishables imposes mechanical, thermal and biological stresses that cause graded uniform lots to retain quality better than ungraded mixed lots. Grading reduces the proportion of defective fruit in a consignment, separates produce at different stages of maturity, and matches packing intensity to the market's tolerance for spoilage. It also enables differential pricing along the supply chain.

Implementation

The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, issues grade specifications for more than 220 agricultural commodities, including fruits and vegetables. Grading is typically performed at farm-gate pack-houses (see Cold Storage And Pack House), through dimensional sorting tables, brush rollers, optical sorters and weight graders. Packed cartons are labelled with the AGMARK grade designation, weight and origin.

Adoption context

Adoption is concentrated in commodity-cluster pack-houses where consignments are despatched over long distances — for example, Madanapalle and Mulakalacheruvu tomato to North Indian markets, Konaseema banana to Punjab, and grapes from Nashik to terminal markets. The Central AGMARK Laboratory in Nagpur and 11 Regional AGMARK Laboratories provide reference testing.

Limitations

Uptake is uneven outside organised pack-houses; most smallholder produce is graded only at the mandi yard by visual inspection (see Apmc Mandi). Investment in optical and electronic graders has scaled chiefly in export-oriented commodities such as mango, grape and onion.

See also Agmark Grading, Cold Storage And Pack House, Inter State Produce Logistics and Mulakalacheruvu Tomato Market.

References

  1. Grades and Standards. Directorate of Marketing & Inspection.
  2. AGMARK Grades and Standards (compendium).