Fresh figs from Purandhar taluka of Pune district have for the first time been exported. The Purandhar Highland Farmer’s Producers Company (FPC) has managed to successfully export the highly perishable fruit. Rohan Ursal, chairman of the FPC, said the trial shipment consisted of 10 kg of the fruit, which was sourced from the orchards of Mayur and Saurabh Lawande from Singhapur village.
Fresh figs, while being a rich source of nutrients, are highly perishable; their quality deteriorates within hours of being plucked. In order to export the produce, Ursal said, they had to work with growers to ensure the right agricultural practices as well as enable proper packaging and transport.
Recently, the FPC has been conducting trials with StePac, a packaging solution company from Israel, as well as Bayer Crop Sciences’ food chain department. The company, he pointed out, has been able to send shipments out of Maharashtra through air cargo to markets of Hyderabad and other areas.
“The produce has high demand, but given the less research and development done on the crop, growers have not been able to fully exploit its potential,” he said. The figs from Purandar are GI tagged.
Source: indianexpress.com
