Coldhubs has conducted Post-Harvest Management Educational Training PHM for fruits and vegetables traders in Abat CBD Market, Elekeson, Ijebu-Lekki Lagos.
The program which is designed to teach vendors of perishable produce the best post-harvest practices was held on December 8, 2022.
Speaking at the training, ColdHubs’ Sales and Marketing Officer SMO (South-South), Amaka Claudiatte, narrated the essence of proper storage control with the use of plastic crates for easily crushed produce such as tomatoes and pepper.
The SMO explained that packages and containers are appropriate tools that provide protection for produce during handling, transportation, and storage. She added that bad packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables increases spoilage.
She encouraged the traders to adopt ColdHub's refrigerated transportation services, as such end-to-end cold storage services will ensure the freshness of their produce before sales.
"Damages and losses incurred during non-refrigerated transportation are caused primarily by mechanical damage and overheating"
"When proper storage for fruits and vegetables is observed, it helps prolong their shelf-life and increase their availability" she added.
During an interactive session, some of the traders shared their challenges while running their daily activities.
"My greatest challenge in this fruit business is preservation," Abdul Halem, a fruit trader in the market, lamented.
"I have lost dozens of berries, apples, pears, and other products, because of the temperature, these fruits soften and get wasted. On a daily basis, I lose a lot of money” he continued.
For Olayemi Oluwadare, a butcher, “We go miles away from storing our meat after sales. It cost us a lot of money to transport to that area and to store our products there”
“Most of these cold rooms where we store meat make use of generators, which increases the cost of storage”
According to the Market Secretary, Wale Samson, ColdHubs’ facility is exactly the innovation most of the traders in the market have been clamoring for.
“We appreciate the services the company is rendering to the traders. The excitement on the faces of the trader is about the extra profits they will be making from their sales.” Wale said.