Report presentation on fresh produce handling by the local market setting and the modern market setting. Presented in MPhil Post Harvest Conservation Class.

1. Field Visit
to Ashaiman market and The Farmer’s market
Presented by:
Emmanuel Berko
Cecille Aboagye & Dinah Adomako 18/03/2017

2. Content
• Operations and Practices observed in the market:
– Ashaiman Market (Greater Accra, Ashaiman)
– The Farmer’s Market (Greater Accra, Tema Community 11)
Reception Packing/Display
Sorting Sales
Special treatment Disposal

3. Introduction
• With the Local setting, fresh food produce are obtained
from within and around Ghana.
• All come through vehicles/trucks.
• Upgraded settings obtain produce from within and all over
the world.
• These come through vehicles, ships & flight.
• Post harvest conservation practices are important in both
settings.

4. Ashaiman Market

5. Some produce that were enquired on are;
• Bell pepper
• Shallots
• Cucumber
• Cabbage
• African eggplant leaves
(‘Gboma’)
• Spring onions
• Maize
• Lettuce
• Garden eggs
• Cassava
• Plantain
• Tomatoes
• Palm nut
• Yam
• Dried pepper

6. Majority of produce were obtained from within Ghana.
• Ada – Bell pepper, Carrot, Garden eggs,
• Michel camp – Lettuce, Bell pepper
• Aflao & Keta – Shallots, Carrot, Spring onions, ‘Gboma’
• Suhum & Shai hills – Cassava, Plantain, Cucumber
• Kpasa (North Volta) – Yam
Minority of produce are from border countries.
• Togo & Burkina Faso – Carrot, ‘Gboma’, Tomatoes
Reception:

7. Fig.1 Ready Dispatch of Bell pepper Fig.2 Reception of produce

8. Fig.3 Jute Sack (No.5) containing Shallot Fig.4 Heap of shallot on display

9. Reception contd.
• Produce are conveyed in Vehicles/trucks from source to
market.
– Packed in Jute sacks (No. 5 sacks) – Bell pepper, Shallots, Cabbage,
Cucumber, ‘Gboma’, Spring onions, Lettuce.
– Packed in sugar sacks – Cassava
– Packed in Wooden crates – Tomatoes
• Yams are conveyed in KIA trucks and covered with
Trampoline.
– Stored and sold at the same place.

10. Sorting:
• In this case, when produce arrive in time they are mostly
fresh and not damaged.
• Depending on the produce, sorting can be done or skipped.
• Produce that don’t need sorting are displayed and sold.
– e.g. Bell pepper, Shallots, Cucumber, Carrot, Spring Onions,
Lettuce, Garden eggs, Cassava, Yam.

11. Sorting contd.
• Produce that arrive late from source come with some
damaged and rotten.
• These are sorted out before displayed and sold.
– e.g. Tomatoes most often falls in this category.
– Cabbages also have their outer skin discarded and the fresh
produce displayed.
• ‘Gboma’ is always sorted and tied into units for sale.

12. Vid.1 Sorting of Tomatoes

13. Fig.5 Removal of outer lettuce Fig.6 ‘Gboma’ being unitized

14. Special treatment:
• Some practices to increase shelf life of cassava:
– Cassava is packed in Cocoa sacks and sprinkled with water.
– Soaking in water over a period of time. NB: gives off bad stench.
• Yams start to deteriorate after 2 weeks.
– Avoid sunlight contact to prolong shelf life.
– Mainly due to weight suppressed on those underneath.
– Some sellers use mud to close bruise marks.
– They are not harmed in any way by contact with water.

15. Fig.7 Packed Cassava in perforated sacks Fig.8 spring onions kept away from water

16. Storage:
• Some produce are kept dry and aerated after reception from
source.
• Packed in Jute sacks (No. 5) and stored in a warehouse
within the market.
– e.g. Bell pepper, Shallot
• Some produce are packed and sent home by the seller,
increasing the risk of mishandling.
– e.g. Garden eggs

17. Packing/Display:
• Most produce come in Jute sacks (No. 5) and they are stored
at the close of day as such in a warehouse.
– They include; Bell pepper, Shallots, Cucumber, ‘Gboma’, Lettuce,
Garden eggs.
– Shallots are sometimes packed in the seller’s own box and locked.
• Movement of these packed produce are done through the
aid of local trucks or tricycles.
• Tomatoes are kept dry and packed in wooden boxes.
– Stored in the warehouse and avoid contact with water during
storage.

18. Packing/Display contd.
• Yams are packed unto each other of about 1.5m height and
2m width.
– These are not moved until they are sold off.
– Covered with trampoline to avoid sunlight.
• Palm nuts are skillfully displayed by sorting out bright red
nuts and spreading them on top of the lot.
– This gives it an attractive look and draws more customers.

19. Fig.9 stack of yam Fig.10 Display of Cassava

20. Fig.11 Unattractive display Fig.12 Attractive display

22. Sales:
• Some sellers obtain bulk quantities of produce.
• They distribute them to other sellers to reduce risk of
spoilage.
– Bell pepper is obtained and distributed to other sellers.
– Shallots are also obtained and distributed to other sellers.
• Produce are sometimes sold in retail right after receiving
them from source.
– Includes Cucumber, Cabbage, ‘Gboma’, Carrot, Spring onions,
Garden eggs, Lettuce, Cassava, Yam.

23. Fig.13 measuring tins Fig.14 sale of displayed yam

24. Sales contd.
• Tomatoes are received in crates.
• These are sorted into deteriorated and non-deteriorated.
– Non-deteriorated tomatoes are sold at a higher price to buyers,
thus GH󠄑₵ 25.00 per bucket.
– Deteriorated ones are mostly bought by food vendors at GH₵ 10.00
for the same quantity.
• Ripe Cucumber is gathered and sold at a lower price.
– Often purchased for facial treatment.

25. Fig.15 ripe cucumber sold at low price Fig.16 tomato being categorized for sale

26. Disposal:
• Produce that go completely bad due to;
– Mishandling
– Spoilage
are said to be discarded as waste.

27. The Farmer’s Market
Tema community 11

28. Fresh produce available
These include local and imported
• Sweet potato
• Cabbage (White & Chinese)
• Squash
• Canteloupe Melon
• Parsley
• Pink onion
• Radish
• Yellow lemon
• French Beans
• Pomegranate
• Fresh mango
• Apples etc.

29. Reception:
Produce obtained from local farmers;
• These are from farmers around the Volta river due to access
to irrigation water.
• Also farmers in Ada operating greenhouses are contracted.
• Fruits (pineapples, watermelon etc.) are obtained from
Nsawam and Prampram farmers.
• Farmers bring the produce or the company does their own
collection and transportation.

30. Reception contd.
Produce obtained by importation;
• Fruits (Grapes, apples etc.) are received from South Africa.
• Other produce are collected from various countries and
dispatched from Holland.
• Transportation is either by Sea (10 days) or Air (6 hours).
– All the shipped produce come in refrigerated containers.
– Air freight is expensive but worth it for more perishable produce.
• The packed produce usually come in carton boxes and are
stacked onto pallets.

31. Fig.17 vehicles used for transportation & deliveries

32. Fig.18 storage facility for dry produce Fig.19 storing pallet of garlic

33. Sorting:
• Sorting is done for produce obtained locally but not for
imported produce.
• Farmers are tasked to provide specified characteristics of
produce.
• Most of the produce are obtained in the semi-ripe stage.
– Specification for Tomatoes are semi-ripe to allow for longer shelf
life during display.
• Different sizes and weights of produce are already
categorized from the source.

34. Fig.20 procured semi-ripe tomatoes Fig.21 sorted ripe tomatoes

35. Special treatment:
• Produce from both within and outside the country are
subjected to cold temperatures.
• The company’s vehicles for both transportation & deliveries
are all refrigerated vans.
• Shipping and storage containers are also refrigerated.

36. Special treatment contd.
• Retail shop is a cold room to allow maintain the preferred
temperature.
– Shop has 9 refrigerated containers to allow for quick restocking.
• The only dry storage is the garlic.
– These are in carton boxes and stacked on a pallet.
– A number of them are placed in an aerated storage facility until
needed.

37. Fig.22 refrigerated containers for retail storage Fig.23 extra container storage facility

38. Packing/Display:
• During display, some produce are wrapped in cellophane or
plastic bags.
– This aids to prolong shelf life of the produce.
• Some produce are left loose on display to allow customers
choose quantity desired.
• Generally all produce are displayed in plastic crates.

39. Fig.24 packaged pepper for protection and convenience Fig.25 polypropylene bags used to secure onions

40. Fig.26 Loose and packaged onions Fig.27 Loose produce on display

41. Sales:
• Wholesale dispatching is done at the warehouse of the
company.
• Whereas retail dispatch is done at the retail shops.
• Produce, once obtained are stored till needed. (Last in Last
out principle).
• Sales of produce are both in units and per kilograms.
– Gives customers opportunity to choose quantity preferred.

42. Sales contd.
• Restocking of the retail shop can be done about 5 times
within a day.
• Produce that start to look unattractive due to mishandling
are sold at lower prices to sell them off.
– Apples, Oranges, Pear etc. when senescence initiates do not look
appealing.
• In extreme cases, when produce deteriorate, they are
discarded.
– Placed in closed waste bins and collected by waste trucks
(Zoomlion).

43. Fig.28 retail shop for dispatch of produce

44. Fig.29 display & sale of categorized fresh produce

45. Fig.30 unitized onions at fixed price Fig.31 loose onions for sale per quantity

46. dealing with slightly damaged produce
Fig.32 reduced to clear sale
of deteriorating produce

47. Conclusion:
• From both settings, it can be noticed that handlers have an
idea of some postharvest conservation techniques.
• Major hindrance to executing this effectively is access to the
right storage facility.
• For the local setting, procurement is dependent on luck as
vehicles have potential of delaying and breaking down.
• Upgraded settings have more control since they own the
vehicles.

48. Recommendations:
• Reliable transportation systems are needed by the locals.
• Well structured chambers for sale of produce in the market.
• There are less varieties of local products with the upgraded
setting.
– Encourage patronage from more local farmers.