No abstract

Fruit growing contributes to Brazilian socioeconomic growth, both as a source of food for the population and in the generation of employment and income. However, the production chain incurs significant negative impacts, mainly due to post-harvest losses. The objective of the current study was to estimate the post-harvest losses of fruits, occurring in the retail markets of Anapurus, Belágua, Mata Roma, São Benedito do Rio Preto and Urbano Santos (Maranhão State). The study was carried out with visits to 45 commercial establishments, and the deployment of a questionnaire regarding post-harvest losses of 12 fruits. It is concluded that, in decreasing order, losses were: avocado (11.76 ± 0.09%) > papaya (11.65% ± 0.02) > banana (10.82 ± 1.75%) > grape (10.08 ± 0.06%) > passion fruit (9.28 ± 0.04%) > pineapple (8.62 ± 0.04%) > watermelon (8.48 ± 0.05%) > mango (8.00 ± 0.18%) > orange (7.12 ± 0.10%) > apple (6.68 ± 0.07%) > pear (6.52 ± 0.03%) > melon (4.32 ± 0.01%). Physiological disorders were the main cause of losses, with estimated losses being up to 10.62%. It is suggested that losses could be reduced with: better hygiene in commercial environments, effective planning of the quantities offered, and the adoption of low cost technologies for the conservation and refrigeration of temperate fruits. Some public initiatives, such as the increase in availability of training courses, improvement of roads in the rural areas of the Chapadinha Microregion, and encouragement of the expansion of fruit growing in Maranhão, may lead to improvements, with direct benefits to society in general.

Por muitos anos as produções agropecuárias foram as principais causas do desmatamento na Amazônia Legal, principalmente após as políticas desenvolvimentistas para região amazônica, a partir da década 60. Neste contexto, objetivou-se analisar no período de 2002 a 2017, a dinâmica espaço-temporal do uso e cobertura do solo nos municípios maranhenses situados na Amazônia Legal. O estudo aconteceu em 170 municípios que fazem parte do território da Amazônia Legal. Utilizou-se para aplicação do coeficiente de correlação, os dados referentes às áreas desmatadas, área total utilizada na agricultura e quantidade de bovinos. Empregou-se também os dados de área territorial e estimativa populacional dos municípios de maior área desmatada. Observou-se que o desmatamento na Amazônia Legal, no Maranhão, teve expressiva redução de 131.428 hectares, entre os anos de 2002 a 2017. Em contraste a isso, o número de bovinos e a área utilizada na agricultura aumentaram de 4,33 para 7,098 milhões e 1,052 para 1,573 milhões de hectares, respectivamente. O desmatamento da Amazônia Legal no Maranhão, em 16 anos, esteve amplamente (70%) concentrado em 25 municípios, principalmente os localizados próximos a importantes rodovias federais ou com fácil acesso a outros estados, como o Pará. Embora, os indicadores de desmatamento na Amazônia Legal situada no Maranhão, indiquem que há redução em 16 anos, é necessário atentar ao desenvolvimento sustentável na agropecuária, ou seja, equilíbrio entre o econômico, ecológico e social, pois há muito que pode ser preservado, ainda. Também é importante a adequada fiscalização ambiental em áreas de divisa do estado, que demonstram uma forte tendência a impactos ambientais, associados ao desmatamento.

No abstract

The production of fruits and vegetables is listed as one of the most relevant activities in brazilian agricultural conjuncture. However, the amount of losses occurring along the production chain is alarming, especially in the postharvest stage. Thus, it was aimed to conduct a survey of postharvest losses and characterize the scenario of commercialization of fresh produce in the retail market of seven cities in the east of Maranhã o state. This work was carried out through direct interviews with 145 traders. The questionnaire with objective questions that covered socioeconomic aspects, handling, flow, conditioning, storage, marketing, and postharvest losses was applied to them. It was found that the traders had little schooling (92% of traders do not have a high school level) and lack adequate technical knowledge of produce, management, and marketing of fruit and vegetable produce. The traded vegetables are sourced from Piauí , Bahia and Ceará , and drained through canvas-covered trucks (86%). The three vegetables with the highest loss estimates are bell pepper (16.42 ± 2.21%), lettuce (11.79 ± 0.42) and tomato (11.38 ± 0.19%). Though, for fruits, it highlights plum (35.65 ± 1.34%), papaya (17.93 ± 3.79%) and guava (15.63±2.79%). 337 Among the causes, those of physiological order was the most impacting. The largest losses of vegetables occurred in Coelho Neto (17.78%), Timon (13.46%) and Brejo (10.73%) cities. Regarding fruits, the order was Coelho Neto (11.48%), Brejo (11.27%) and Timon (10.84%). There is a need for better training and awareness of traders regarding the adoption of good post-harvest practices and proper management of the commercial activity, as a way to increase the profitability of this activity, which on average is equivalent to two minimum wages per month.