EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AGRICULTURE PACKAGING

Packaging agricultural products mean covering and accommodating the food in some form of material that will save it in between storage, transport, and distribution. Packaging protects the food from any deterioration due to impact or crushing, contamination by any pathogens, or harmed by moisture, air, or odors. In general, it prevents agricultural products from ruining, dripping, or spillage. The selection of packaging items relies on how well the package is protecting the food and for the required shelf life and technique used to sell the agriculture products. A transport vessel could be any drum, sack, box, or barrel, that keeps and saves the food during shipment until it is processed or sold. Small-scale food producers use the following selling methods:

• Direct trade to clients at local rural shops.
• Sale to vendors and middlemen who travels the farms.
• Merchandising to agents and buyers of food processing companies or government institutes.
• Trade to urban wholesalers and retailers.

The agriculture products that the traders sell straight to urban retailers require complicated packaging, for example, dried herbs, spices, and honey. By protecting the food, it is also advertised to attract clients. Every label has its own designed packages.

PACKAGING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS:

Following are the details of the packaging of some agricultural products:

1. DRIED WHOLE GRAINS: The packing options of dried whole grains depends on the selling system of a specific area. Many manufacturers provide unsorted and unhygienic whole grains to sellers. These are wrapped in bulk into sacks made from the local markets, example, in cotton, sisal, and kenaf. The latest materials are multi-walled paper sacks, and woven polypropylene sacks are becoming common. Mostly enterprising farmers sort and clean these grains and pack into retail bags to get more profit.
2. COOKING OILS: Cooking oils are usually packed into bulk shipping containers, which are drums made from steel and food-grade plastic. These drums are re-used often. The oil must be free from all traces. The drum should be thoroughly cleaned before re-use. The retail packing of the oil is always sealed to protect it from any contamination and moisture or air. Polythene bag is the most common bag for containing oil as it is heat-sealed. The caps of these bags are also air-tight.
3. HORTICULTURE PRODUCTS: Agriculture packaging manufacturers usually not pack the fruits and vegetables, but the renowned supermarkets wrap them into perforated polythene bags. Another way which is more common these days is plastic trays protected in cling-film.