Quality standards and specifications for some fresh products are available and updated frequently by the Directorate General for Specifications and Measurements (DGSM), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. There are 38 Omani specifications of fruits, vegetables and nuts available.
1. Current Status of the Post-Harvest Sector
General Overview of the Post-Harvest Chain
The available information suggests that more than 90% of Agricultural production in Oman is practiced on small farms, which are less than 4 ha (DAS, 2002). Thus producers are responsible for all activities related to growing, harvest, handling and marketing of their produces. However, there are relatively a very few number of specialized farms that have their own facilities in order to practice some sort of post-harvest techniques such as grading, treatment of fruits and packaging as requested by destined market.
Markets are mostly local or close by (less than 500 km), in which care is taken to determine the stage of ripening at which harvest takes place in order to minimize losses, which growers are aware of. Those losses, which might occur during and after harvest or those due to delay in marketing.
There are two central markets in the Capital (Muscat), which are mainly specialized for fresh fruits and vegetables. Grain and dry seeds are traded through local markets. This market receives all local and imported products.
Apart from farm initial grading, depending on the distance to markets, and packaging there are no other post-harvest techniques that are adopted. Packaging is normally done using carton or wooden boxes. Crates are also common for tubers and large leafy products. In some cases net bags are used.
2. Post-Harvest Units and Centers
Market and wholesale facilities are available in the Sultanate. As well as long-term cooled stores are available in certain areas particularly in the capital (Muscat). In addition, to the presence of few large scale commercial farms, which adopt post-harvest steps. There are some specialized centers for certain crops such as Dates and Banana.
Dates Handling in the Sultanate
Date palm trees numbers in the Sultanate is about 6,486,628. The total Dates production is about 219,771.80 tons and the average production of Dates per Date palm tree is about 33.9 kg (MA, 2008). The table 2 shows area cultivated under date palms indifferent regions of Oman.
Table 2. Date palm area cultivated in different regions in the Sultanate versus the production (MA, 2008).
Location Date palm Numbers (%) Production (%)
Al-Batinah 43.4 44.1
Al-Sharqiya 21.5 18.8
Oman Interior 14.7 18.0
Al-Dhahira 12.7 12.9
Muscat 5.2 4.6
Musandam 2.2 1.7
Dhofar 0.33 0.06
There are more than 200 cultivars of Date palm in the Sultanate but the commercial varieties are perhaps not more than 20 cultivars. The Omani cultivars are generally divided into three groups depending on time of fruit ripening. However, the difference is not distinct and is sometimes affected by climatic factors in various regions of the Sultanate.
Dates Pre and Post Handling
Dates take special attention by the Ministry of Agriculture , which has a strategy for Date palm development. The Ministry has launched an ambitious project in which, machines to process and pack Dates are distributed (subsidized by 50%) to farmers and small packers to establish small Date packing houses in an effort to introduce new techniques and ideas of the current pattern of consumption which requires modern attractive packages to fulfill consumers demands.
Private Companies Working in Dates Industry
There are about 8 companies investing in Dates in the Sultanate. These are:
• Tomoor Oman.
• Oman Modern Farm.
• Angara Trading.
• Billah Supply & Crops.
• Omani Dates Flake Factory.
• Muscat Overseas Agriculture.
• Muscat Food Industries.
Banana Handling in the Sultanate
Banana cultivated area in the Sultanate is 2642 ha (6.3% among fruits) and producing about 28,890 tons (10.3%) (MS, 2009). The most common cultivar is ‘Cavendish’ and have been studied and described for vegetative and bunch characteristics. Banana is highly developed and regulated through the strategy of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Banana Units
There are specialized Banana ripening and packing house in the Southern governate (Salalah) of the Sultanate and cold storage facilities in the central markets. In addition, to a receiving unit at Suwaiq on the Batinah Coast. Some farmers have initiated their own ripening rooms and chambers at their fields.
Banana Post-Harvest Practices
Bananas are a very high risk and demanding crop that requires constant attention to production, personnel and marketing management. Harvesting bananas is a big task and involves carrying heavy bunches, weighing more than 50 kg to the trailers. Particular care and training is
needed to avoid injuries to workers and damage to fruits.
Since, bananas deteriorate rapidly in hot sun, thus reducing their shelf life; farmers adopt the following steps to prevent this deterioration:
Pre-Harvest stage
z Plants are checked regularly and all rubbing leaves are removed or turned aside.
z The bunches are covered by plastic bags opened from both sides after complete development of the inflorescence (bagging) to prevent the fruits to be damaged by sunburn, spray residues, insects and birds.
z Incomplete hands are removed after bloom to increase the weight of the other hands.
z The bunches are not left ripened on the tree.
Harvest stage
z Bunches are harvested at light green stage.
z Banana is harvested with complete hands and when the fingers are fully developed.
z Bunches are collected in a shade area to be ready for packing.
z Padding is used to protect bunches during transport in the trailers or during storage.
z Washing.
z Banana are washed in water tanks and disinfected by using antifungal solutions in packing houses.
z Storing and Ripening.
z Farmers store banana bunches in well closed rooms at 15-19oC and relative humidity 85-95%
for 24 hours in the first stage. Ethylene gas is used for ripening.
z Packing and Transport.
Banana after ripening process are transported directly to the markets. Some refrigerated trucks are used to transport produce from collection centers to marketing outlets. Farmers also use their trailers to transport their commodity to the market but they use padding to prevent damages to the fruits.
Tomato Handling in the Sultanate.
Tomato is considered one of the main vegetables grown in the Sultanate. The area cultivated under tomatoes is 974 ha constituting about 14.3% from the total cultivated vegetables. The total tomato production is about 41925 tons (25.7% of total vegetable production).
Tomato Post-Harvest Practices
The bulk of the fresh market tomatoes are mature green stage because they tolerate rough handling better than the riper stages and hold the longest in storage, shipping, and on the supermarket shelf. In the industry, this is referred to as having a low shrinkage rate.
Steps of Tomato Harvesting z Picking.
Tomatoes are picked at 2 stages depending on the ripening. These stages are:
1. Mature green: a white to yellow 'star' on the blossom end.
2. Breaker, pink, and red: The breaker stage occurs within 24 hours of the mature green stage and is easily distinguished because the blossom end is pink.
Farmers collect the fruits when completely developed or when it has reached the suitable degree of ripening. The fruits are picked without making any mechanical injury, while the damaged fruits are discarded.
z Sorting and Grading.
The preliminary sorting take place at the field. The fruits with symptoms of infection of disease or infestation of insects as well as sun burn are discarded. As well as the up-normal fruits. This process is necessary to remove culled tomatoes and to separate the fruits into lots of uniform ripeness, consistency, size and appearance.
z Storing.
Farmers traditionally don’t store tomatoes. They directly take the fruits to the market after harvest. However, some new advanced farms store tomatoes depending on the ripening stage.
1. Green ripened tomatoes: Stored at temperature range between 12-14℃, which will reach the fully ripening stage after 20-25 days. Relative humidity at 85-95%.
2. Partial ripened tomatoes: Stored at 10-12℃, which will reach the complete ripening after 15 days.
3. Hard red tomatoes: Stored between 8-10℃ for one week.
z Packing.
Tomatoes are packed in different sizes, materials, and shapes and then transported to markets.
Private Companies Working in Tomato Industry.
There are about 2 companies to our knowledge investing in tomatoes industry in the Sultanate.
They are Ali and Abdul-Karim Company for food stuff and Al-Khabora. Both companies produce ketchups. However, most of their tomato concentrate were imported from outside the country.