Earlier this year, Compac Sorting Equipment, part of TOMRA Food, launched its Field Research Unit, which can be deployed on lands to research the fresh produce industry’s most challenging issues. James Flocchini, Compac’s regional director for South Africa and Asia, spoke to Denene Erasmus about how the unit will be used to develop solutions for the citrus industry specifically and how the technology can ultimately help limit food waste.
HOW DID THE NEED AND THE IDEA FOR THE FIELD RESEARCH UNIT (FRU) ARISE?
Compac provides integrated post-harvest solutions and services to the global fresh produce industry, using the world’s most advanced grading technology. However, the demands of feeding the growing global population are driving the need to know more about each piece of produce as it is sorted in the packhouse and in repackaging centres. By measuring other attributes, we can further improve sorting to optimise productivity, reduce waste and maximise customer value. One of the biggest challenges that developers of new equipment and technology for the food and agriculture sector confront is getting the type of data and information that can inform decisions about what new capabilities the market really needs from high-tech equipment.
A while ago, the president and CEO of TOMRA Food, Stefan Ranstrand, asked me what the biggest problem was for the citrus industry. Judging from the presentations given at recent international conferences and symposiums, I told him it was probably false coddling moth (FCM). We realised that if we could find a solution that would enable us to visually sort and sense for FCM in fruit and remove the affected fruit before it is packaged for marketing, that would be a huge benefit to the industry. We decided about a year ago to make a big effort to find a solution. We first tried to get fruit to our research and sensor development centre in Germany to analyse it using a spectrometer and other sensors, but getting fruit, especially if it was affected by FCM, to Germany, was very difficult. That is when we got the idea: if we couldn’t get the fruit to the laboratory, why not take the lab to the fruit?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 14, 2018 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 14, 2018 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
