7 - part

exsigmarkets by Thai bananaijpossible. More
~/;than 95%~of' bananas exported from Thailand
gtoHong Kong.. Recently,' the export of a
cultivar -(Dipr
Spromising. ,One of the major problems encountered
by ,exporcers is premature ripening of the fruit
before it;arrives in Hong .Kong, lathough the
voyage takes only sby sea, There
isalso' some interest in 'exporting
to Europe, a journey of some 25 days.
bananas
; There P.,ee numerous reports that bananas
respond 'very. well to 'controlled atmosphere
and' modified atmosphere storage, The most
effective gas mixture is 2% 02, enriched with
up to 10-15% CO2. Gros Michel bananas became.
less aromatic when they were stored in more than
10% C0 2 . Khai bananas stored in more than
20%CO 2 . were less aromatic, but had fewer brown
!-freckles: wf.en ripe. The use of polyethylene
bags containing an ethylene abscrbent to achieve
a modified atmosphere has leen in commercial
use in Thailand -for some tim e . A little more
'j :"work is needed to adapt this method to the
existing handling system. In some cases, Thai
growers 'find it difficult to achieve efficient
postharvest handling of good quality fruit,
especially in 'areas 'with small-scale scattered
production' where there is: no spraying program
in the field 'for disease and. insect control.
Small-scale ,producers also 'find it difficult to
harvest:their fruit at the proper stage of maturity
according to intended storage life.
Strawberry
Strawberry are one of the most perishable
fresh fruits. In Thailand, they are successfully
grown in the, North in increasingly large amounts,
to the point of overproduction.. Most of the
exports, though still limited in quantity, are
sent, abroad as an, off-season supply between
December,and March. ', ''Longan
:.::':, California leads the, U.S.A. in strawberry
marketing selling its' fruit right across U.S.A.
and -into southern' Canada. 'Forced-air cooling
together with'nodified atmosphre transport
account for, the success of the Californian
operation', A similar method has been.'adopted
in Thailanid. The effect of elevated CO2 on
s e-life it-quality-and-control.of.
fungal disease (mainly ant hracnose) was examined
in the laboratory. Subsequently, several trials
on mod ified .,-phre transport, . using
polyethylene bags injected with carbon dioxide,
were carried out last year in cooperation with
fruit exporters. The major concern requiring
further study is to protect the temperature 'of
the produce while it is on .the ground at 'the
airport or at intermediate terminals.
Citrus
Thailand's production of tangerine is rapidly
increasing, mainly for domestic consumption
but also for export. The export of clementines,
and pomelos has shown an impressive increase
recently. Major markets lie in Hong Kong,
Singapore, and Malaysia. The demand in Europe
and Taiwan for pink-fleshed pomelos and
clementines is also increasing. One special feature
. of the peak. demand for pomelo in Hong Kong
is that it corresponds to the Chinese mid-autumn
' moon festival in September/October..
'' Citrus fruits are among the least perishable
:,,subtropical fruits. .At 0 0 C , the storage lives
''of tangerine, clementine and pomelo are more
than one, tw and four,,months, respectively.
one of the: most important fields of research ,
is to 'establish harvest, maturity standards.
Although elsewhere ,researchers are: interested
in methods ofidegreening citrus, in Thailand we
are planning to test various ways of maintaining
the green color of clementines, which is claimed
to be a selling asset, Waxing and sealed -packaging
of individual fruit in plastic film Will be tested
on a hire contract basis.
. .
Longan is the top''export earner, of all
Thailand's fresh fruits. Production is concentrated
in a belt in the north, Longan isprobably one
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