Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 12. Economic Information
and roads, and institutional support, which include access to financial
services, research and extension. Many of these factors depend upon state
and national governmental policies and political will.
Figure 12-1. Commercialization channels for distribution of cherimoya
in California, USA
Where there is a market, there is a production-to-commercialisation system,
varying from a simple system to a more complex one (Fig. 12-1). In a simple
system, annona growers can sell their fruits in farmers' markets directly to the
consumer; these are generally small fairs in small cities or villages. A
complex system leads into larger markets and is constructed around a system
starting with producers selling to packers and shippers, then a number of
wholesale companies that send annona fruits to supermarkets, and finally
cherimoya, soursop or sugar apples are sold to consumers as specialties
(Grossberger, 1999).
Prices of annona fruits vary according to their supply and demand. However,
in general, well packed and shipped fruits are more expensive than fruits
from a simple marketing system, due to their higher quality (less damage and
disease, better shape and weight classification, and uniformity of external
colour). Bonaventure (1999) commented that in São Paulo, Brazil, a carton
with four high quality cherimoya fruits attained a price of R$ 35.00 (US$
147