The foremost agricultural countries in the world all place an emphasis on such key issues as storage, preservation, and processing in the development of their agricultural industry. Around 70% of the investments in US farms are aimed at the post-harvest stages of the production process. The loss of fruit due to post-harvest damage is between 1.7% and 5%. The Netherlands, little more than twice the size of Beijing, is the second-largest agricultural supplier in the world, just behind the USA. Their greatest advantage is the system of post-harvest preservation that keeps the ratio of loss due to damage of fruit, vegetables, and flowers below 5%.
The average rate of loss due to damage between farm and table is 20%-40% in China. The accumulated loss due to damage during transport between farm and market and from market to table exceeds 40% for strawberries, grapes, and bananas, and more than 30% for longans, lychee, and kiwi fruit. That rate is more than 33% for mushrooms, bok choy, and lettuce, and more than 20% for bamboo shoots, edible tree fungus, and tomatoes.
Medium-sized Chinese companies with an annual sales value of around 10 million yuan [1.49 million USD] suffer a loss of income due to post-harvest damage of around 10%, which is around 1 million yuan [149 thousand USD]. How can the Chinese fruit and vegetable industry solve this problem? The Dutch Wageningen University will organize a course entitled "Post-Harvest Management and Preservation Technology 4.0" in Beijing on April 26th-28th, 2019.
Follow this link for course details and relevant announcements (Chinese).
Source: Future Agriculture Information Center