North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dr. Chiranjit Parmar" <parmarch@vsnl.com>]

Whatever may be the harvesting standards of apples or other fruits,
ultimately everything depends upon the buyer who is a trader.  Since it is
he who pays the price to the grower, so his word rules.  This is happening
all over the world.  For a grower, the most important person is his
buyer(not the retail buyer or the end user of his produce).

In India, the harvesting of mangoes starts six seeks before the normal
harvest date.  Then the unripe fruits are induced to ripen with calcium
carbide and sold in the market.  These fruits just only look like mangoes
and have no taste or flavour.  But the buyers(we call them contractors) are
staisfied.  They say that they get better price for such mangoes as they
come to market early.  This is happening with all fruits that can be ripened
with chemicals.  In fact in this race, the crop is sometimes finished before
the optimum ripening season of that particular variety.

There does not seem to be any solution for the problem.

Dr. Chiranjit Parmar
186/3 Jail Road
Mandi  HP  175 001  INDIA
Phones:(01905)22810; 98160-22810  Fax:(01905) 25419
http://www.lesserknownplants.com
E-mail: parmarch@vsnl.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "michael janket" <msjanket@cyberzone.net>
To: "Apple-Crop" <apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 3:46 AM
Subject: Re: Apple-Crop: industry connections to US economy


> When we talk about quality, what does it mean?  Shippers of fruit are
insisting
> that when that fruit leaves the dock, it is hard, crisp, and ready for
America.
> No questions asked.  More recently, Gene Kupferman of WSU-Wenatchee has
been
> emitting some chilling facts about so-called quality apples.  In his
random
> sampling of fruit in many Washington warehouses, he has been finding too
many
> examples of poor, unacceptable fruit.  Notably, Fujis with as low as 11%
soluble
> solids, soft Galas, and the already mentioned soft Red Delicious.  Now,
this is
> at the warehouse!  What happens when it ships  3000 miles, gets placed on
a warm
> store shelf, gets manhandled by consumers who have been spoiled by red,
red
> fruit glittering on shelves?  The moral of the story is that Americans
have been
> shortshrifted on quality, while the industry bleats about so-called
quality.
> All those ads with the words denoting quality may not really signify what
is the
> real story.  Yes, Gene found lots of good fruit, too.  But, that
substandard
> fruit has sunk a dagger into too many potential future sales.
> How profound is this, really?  This very recent work is still being done
by
> Kupferman, a post-harvest physiologist, as we speak.  We need scads of new
> varieties, or how about doing a better job with what we have?  Americans
are
> being titillated by lots of nice produce, and our apples may look pretty
but
> have insides that don't bring us back for more.  As the industry got huge
out
> West, the old bromide came true about Red Delicious.  One third are picked
too
> early, one third are picked just right, and one third are picked too late.
> Unless handled and sold magnificently in timely fashion, what do these
Reds
> contain that will bring American consumers back enthusiastically for more?
We
> all know the answer to that question.
> Some potentially exciting materials like MCP may help turn around this
crunch
> deficiency.  However, let's get off this silly notion that the industry
does no
> wrong.  This is basic stuff.  Pick 'em right, sell 'em right.  Too often,
we
> don't.
> Michael Janket     Willington, Conn.
>
> Bill & Lois Wood wrote:
>
> > Just a discouraged growers impression--for what if anything it is
worth--
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mike Biltonen <biltonen@hvi.net>
> > To: applecrop <apple-crop@virtualorchard.net>
> > Date: Friday, March 09, 2001 1:48 PM
> > Subject: Apple-Crop: industry connections to US economy
> >
> > >I have been a bit interested lately about the apple industry's
connections
> > >to the US economy. As we all know, the US economy was flying high until
the
> > >end of 1999. At the end of 1999, a lot of people did some profit taking
and
> > >the stock market declined. Now after a year of watching the markets
decline
> > >dramatically, we are seeing even more poor financial reports, job
losses,
> > >etc.
> > >
> > >My questions:
> > >
> > >1) Did the industry see any upside from the high-flying economy? Were
there
> > >better prices (anywhere) or more money spent on apples (whether retail
or
> > >wholesale) because of all the money floating around?
> >         * The industry seemed to be hit from so many sides, there was no
> > up-side.  A neighbor reminded me that farming in general hit the "great
> > depression" of the 30's several months before the rest of the ecomomy.
> > >2) Will we see any downside from the decline in the economy this
season?
> > >Will prices decline, will less money be spent at farm markets, etc
because
> > >of the loss of wealth, lost jobs, etc.
> >     *I personally doubt that a slow economy in the non-rural areas will
> > noticably affect the apple industry--there are too many other factors
with
> > more weight.  I believe, and hope, that direct farm sales and farmers'
> > markets may actually profit from a slower economy as the housewife
watches
> > her grocery dollars mor closely.  On the other side, quality based fruit
and
> > produce sales may  fall in the area of luxury and recreational spending
not
> > effected like staples.
> > >3) Or, is the industry in such doldrums that our prices (or food prices
in
> > >general) are not affected one way or the other by shifts in the
economy?
> > >People need food, for sure, but will they shift their buying patterns
in
> > any
> > >way.
> > >    * see above.   Bumper Sticker----"When agriculture in the US is
finally
> > outlawed, only the third world will have food."
> >
> > >Mike @ Stone Ridge
> > >    *Bill Wood, woodbl@nwi.net
> > >
> >
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > >
> > >The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> > ><http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> > ><cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements
<clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> > >
> > >Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
> > >"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
> > >the content.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> >
> > The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> > <http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> > <cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.
> >
> > Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
> > "official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
> > the content.
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>
>
> The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard
> <http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill
> <cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.
>
> Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent
> "official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for
> the content.
>
>
>
>
>



---------------------------------------------------------------------------


The 'Apple-Crop' LISTSERV is sponsored by the Virtual Orchard 
<http://www.virtualorchard.net> and managed by Win Cowgill 
<cowgill@aesop.rutgers.edu> and Jon Clements <clements@umext.umass.edu>.

Apple-Crop is not moderated. Therefore, the statements do not represent 
"official" opinions and the Virtual Orchard takes no responsibility for 
the content.