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Transcript of MTS II_Vikas Rana
To Develop the Quality Management System in Banana Operations at Indapur, Maharashtra.
Author Vikas Rana
Host Organization Unifrutti India (P) Ltd. Indapur, Maharashtra
Faculty Guide
Prof. Bikash Ranjan Dash
“A REPORT SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MASTERS IN RURAL
MANAGEMENT.”
School of Rural Management Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University
Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. March 2010
Management Traineeship Segment (MTS) II
SCHOOL OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, KIIT UNIVERSITY
Bhubaneswar, Orissa
The MTS Report of Vikas Rana
Candidate for the degree of MBA in Rural Management Is hereby APPROVED
Prof. Bikash Ranjan Dash March 2, 2010
i
Executive Summary
The title of the project is to execute the Quality Management System in Banana
Operations at Indapur, Maharashtra. The Host Organization is Unifrutti India (P) Ltd. Unifrutti
was founded in 1983 by De Nadai, headquartered at Italy. Unifrutti exports premium quality
fresh fruit year-round to markets worldwide. The report is an outcome of my field experiences
and the guidance given by my reporting officer Mr. Dattatraya. B. More (Senior Manager-
Operations), Mr. Madananjay Sharma (Associate Manager- Operations) and Prof. A.V. Ramana
Acharyulu (Dean- Academics, School of Rural Management, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar).
The objectives of the project is to understand the processes along the supply chain i.e.
from procurement to the container dispatching point with respect to the Unifrutti’s Banana
Operations at Indapur and to suggest the measures for effective Quality Control in Banana
Operations. Further, to identify the challenges in the system and contribute with the
corresponding suggestions. Finally, to prepare the Banana Quality Management system manual
in consideration with the above said points. The Methodology for the project was predefined by
the organization i.e. to map the existing procurement and pack house operations and come out
with realistic suggestions and recommendations for effective Quality Management.
The quality of the bananas would be determined by size (length of fingers and thickness),
evenness of ripening, absence of blemishes and defects. The primary objective of the study is to
adopt the integrated quality control management strategies to resolve the prevalent quality
problems in banana operations. The specific objectives are to determine and trace the sources of
main quality defects that are turn-offs to the end users and to derive strategies aimed at either
partially or completely alleviating the identified defects, so as to guarantee the best quality
products to consumers. To determine the foremost defects, 65 export boxes containing 368 hands
were examined according to the ABC fruit evaluation parameters.
ii
Most of the mechanical defects such as scaring, bruising, neck injury, crown trim, knife
injury, and latex stain were a result of human error. Rough handling of the bananas by both the
harvesting labors as well as pack house labors were all blamed for these defects. To further
control the incidence of these defects in the final packing for export, five quality control points
(QCP’s) were identified. The study examines the implementation of integrated Quality
Management System and the corresponding strategies aimed at resolving endemic problems in
banana operations. Emphasis was laid on traceability of main sources of quality defects and
developing strategies to alleviate them. The results of the study showed that scarring, bruising,
red rusts, nipple like apex, latex stains etc were the major defects found in the final packed
product. On the other hand, over-calibration, grounded fruits, speckling, freckling, maturity
stains, chemical stains and scratches were the principle quality defects coming from the field.
On the basis of the identified challenges in the system, the corresponding suggestions and
recommendations were made to execute the Quality Management System in Banana Operations.
First of all, replacing the crate liner foams, crate matting foams and hand separator foam with
pocket shaped foams in which the banana hands are placed directly after inserting single foam in
between the upper and the lower whorl of banana hands (finger incision foams). It will be of free
size so that hands can be placed in it comfortable irrespective of different shape and size.
Secondly, tracking of vehicles occupied in the process of harvesting and the flow of information
regarding the updates between the procurement executives, pack house executives and the
management is a matter of concern in the ongoing operations. The suggestion is to appoint an
individual whose job is to follow up the harvesting operations on hourly basis at different
locations through telephonic conversations with the harvesting labors or the truck drivers and
disseminate the updated status to all the stakeholders involved in operations. He is also
responsible for managing the situations like vehicle breakdowns, allotment of crates to respective
vehicles, accountability of crates and foam, check on wastage of foams and packaging material
etc. It is observed that there are 2 or 3 executives responsible for the pack house operations. The
nature of business is such that they may be managing the operations even beyond the midnight.
The problem is that all the executives are doing everything and there is no significant division of
task. To handle the operations in a much better manner it is mandatory to distribute the work and
further it can be exchanged between themselves either daily or weekly (depending upon the
iii
choice).Quality Circle is one of the employee participation methods. It implies the development
of skills, capabilities, confidence and creativity of the people through cumulative process of
education, training, work experience and participation. Quality Circles have emerged as a
mechanism to develop and utilize the tremendous potential of people for improvement in product
quality and productivity. There is a need to closely supervise packers in the pack house, since
they are the last to have direct contact with the product before shipment, so any error at this level
is difficult to correct and consequently becomes a macro problem. Finally, there was a significant
increase in the total quality of fruits processed as a result of the execution of 5 QCP’s and other
suggestions and recommendations.
iv
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the School of Rural Management (SRM) for having provided me the opportunity
to take up this project in the Management Traineeship Segment (MTS-II) which provided me
with a scope to work with an organization which is unique in itself.
I am deeply indebted to Prof. L.K.Vaswani; Pro- Vice-Chancellor, SRM and SOM, whose
stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me all the time. I am grateful to Prof. A.V.R.
Acharyulu for giving me his valuable time for discussions, providing his useful advices and
insights on the project topic. I take this opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude to my
faculty guide Prof. Bikash Ranjan Dash; Professor, SRM for his valuable guidance provided to
me throughout our study.
I express my gratitude to my reporting officer Mr. Dattatraya. B. More; Senior Manager-
Operations (Banana), Unifrutti India (P) Ltd. for giving me the precious opportunity to work on
this project. I extol my sincere gratitude for devoting the precious time in providing me his
painstaking guidance as well as his abiding inspiration all throughout the project period to
accomplish our work successfully.
My sincere thanks to Mr. Madananjay Sharma for displaying his keen interest in my project and
providing me all the valuable suggestions and information without which my project would not
have taken the present shape.
Finally, I am thankful to all the staff members of Unifutti India (P) Ltd at Indapur and Akluj for
their invaluable cooperation and support extended to me throughout the project period.
(Vikas Rana)
v
Table of Contents
S. No. Contents Page No.
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………… 1
1.1 Background …………………………………………………………….. 1 1.2 About Banana Crop………………………………………………….. 1 1.3 About Unifrutti…………………………………………………………. 2 1.4 Quality Management System …………………………………… 3
2 Objectives of the Study…………………………………………….. 53 Literature review……………………………………………………… 64 Procurement Operations…………………………………………. 8
4.1 Mapping, Field Visits and Selection of Farms………….. 9 4.2 Tagging…………………………………………………………………… 10 4.3 Harvesting……………………………………………………………….. 10
5 Pack House Operations……………………………………………. 14
5.1 Offloading and weighing……………………………….. 15 5.2 Deflowering……………………………………………… 16 5.3 Grading, Sorting and Fruit selection…………………. 16 5.4 Weighment and Crown spray…………………………… 17 5.5 Labeling, Foam insertions and Packaging……………. 18 5.6 Palletization and Container Loading………………….. 20
6 Quality Control in Banana Operations……………………… 21
6.1 Tagging…………………………………………………………………… 24 6.2 Foam instructions while harvesting………………….. 24 6.3 Grading, Sorting and fruit selection in the pack house 24 6.4 Weighment before final packing……………………….. 24
7 Value Chain Costing…………………………………………………. 258 Challenges in the system…………………………………………. 289 Suggestions and Recommendations……………………….. 2910 Summary and Conclusion……………………………………….. 33
References………………………………………………………………. 35
vi
List of Tables
Table No. Title Page No.Table 1 Criteria for ABC Fruit Evaluation 21Table 2 Defects found in final packing 23Table 3 Value Chain Costing 26
List of Figures
Figure No. Title Page No.Figure 1 Quality Management System 4Figure 2 Handing of Banana hands 11Figure 3 Packing of crates after harvesting for transport to the
pack house 12
Figure 4 Process Flowchart for Export of Banana 13Figure 5 Pack House Operations 15Figure 6 Tip Constriction‐Mokillo 16Figure 7 Banana hands after grading and sorting 17Figure 8 Final Packaging of Banana for Export 19Figure 9 Box Coding 19Figure 10 Cooling Unit of Container 20Figure 11 Neck Injury 22Figure 12 Mechanical Injuries during transit 23Figure 13 Possible F&V Value Chains 26Figure 14 Dummy Pocket shaped foam 29
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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1. Introduction
1.1 Background
Management Traineeship Segment forms an inherent part of the MRM programme at School of
Rural Management, KIIT University. It’s an eleven week programme and a rich learning experience
for every internee. I had an opportunity to work with Unifrutti India (P) Ltd with respect to Quality
Management System in banana operations at Indapur; District Pune, Maharashtra. The report is an
outcome of my field experiences and the guidance given by my reporting officer Mr. Dattatraya. B.
More (Senior Manager- Operations), Mr. Madananjay Sharma (Associate Manager- Operations) and
my faculty guide Prof. A.V. Ramana Acharyulu (Dean- Academics, School of Rural Management,
KIIT University, Bhubaneswar).
1.2 About Banana Crop
Banana is one of the most important crops in the world. Over 10 million ha of bananas are grown,
with a total production of more than 68 million metric tons, from which a little more than 10% is
exported. India is the principal world banana producer (16 million metric tons, 23% of world
production), followed by Ecuador (7.5 million tons, 11% of world production), Brazil (5.7 million
tons, 8.4% of world production), China (5.4 million tons., 7.9% of world production), Philippines
(5.06 million tons., 7.4% of world production), Indonesia (3.6 million tons, 5.2% of world
production), Costa Rica (2.2 million tons, 3.3% of world production), and Mexico (2.0 million tons,
a 2.9% of world production. Bananas tolerate different weather ranges from the Temperate Rain
Forest (12–18 °C, with 1000–1200 mm precipitation), up to the Tropical Dry Forest (more than 24
°C; 400–800 mm precipitation). They are grown in Africa, India, Central and South America under
ideal temperature conditions (25–30 °C). Growth temperature should not be lower than 15 °C and
the highest temperature should not exceed 35 °C.
Availability of wide genetic diversity, varying production systems and its suitability to wide range of
agro climatic conditions are the reasons for wide range adaptability of Banana in India. It is grown as
homestead garden as well as on commercial plantation. Commercial production system is well
irrigated, while subsistence cultivation is under rain fed farming. Due to lack of proper post harvest
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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infrastructure bananas have a lower shelf life and up to 30-40 % of the production are lost and many
post harvest diseases also affect the banana fruits. The country losses 3-4 million tons of its produce
due to improper post harvest management. Reduction in such loses in the post-harvest phase is of
utmost importance not only to meet the increasing domestic demands but also to maintain
competitiveness in world trade.
1.3 About Unifrutti
Unifrutti exports premium quality fresh fruit year-round to markets worldwide. It was founded in
1983, by De Nadai (De Nadai International Group), headquartered at Italy. It is one of the largest
producer and exporter of fresh fruit across the globe. Unifrutti stands among top 3 Fruit exporters in
the world - a fully integrated producer/exporter. Unifrutti controls the domain from one end of the
spectrum in terms of R&D leading to actual growing to the other – which is plugging into the supply
chains of retailers across geographies.
Unifrutti started its operations in India with a vision to setup a fully integrated qualitative fruit
supply chain augmented by deeply penetrative distribution network. Just two years later, the
company has emerged a strong performer in the Fresh fruit segment. With a strong direct retail
distribution network operating from 16 locations in the country, it is already feeding more than 35
cities and up-country locations. Within the first year of operations, the company is reckoned as one
of the top importers of Chilean produce which includes Pears, Apples, Grapes, Plums and Kiwifruit.
On the domestic front it has partnered in setting up a world class Apple CA storage for 6500 tons as
well as packing and grading facilities in the Kashmir Region. Coupled with best practices adopted
from its global experiences – from agronomy inputs, harvesting, handling and post harvest practices
- this facility is evolving as the most efficient facility and therefore a boon to the region and trade.
For the first time in the country -the humble banana received a huge makeover through Unifrutti’s
efforts. Large, uniform, unblemished hands ripened scientifically and packed with global experience
find pride of place at F&V counters at modern retail shelves and local shops. Premium quality
produce including Kinnows, Grapes, Pomegranates, Mangoes and Cherries are part of the Unifrutti’s
domestic fruit basket. Unifrutti India, in a short period of time, has set up an efficient supply-chain
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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from farm onwards to export quality certified produce to Middle East, Europe & Sri Lanka both as a
Unifrutti offering as well as private label offering. As part of its export initiative, MRL compliant
and Europe GAP certified Grapes, Pomegranates, Mangoes have been much appreciated in the
receiving markets and volume scale up is underway. To facilitate direct consumer connect Unifrutti
has launched several initiatives based on the health and wellness platform. This includes a cut-fruit
buffet at the Indian weddings where premium quality exotic and Indian produce is served in a world-
class setting. Aesthetically put together collection of fruit baskets in various sizes and ethnic design
options add a touch of exceptional class to wedding gifting. It also offers smartly packed corporate
fruit boxes that can be gifted to employees, business partners and friends for all occasions. In order
to extend the reach to the end consumer – for whom “Touch & Feel” is imperative while buying
fruits – Unifrutti India has facilitated the road side retailer to extend his reach and service the
consumer at his doorsteps using this model. Unifrutti India has launched ergonomically designed
tricycle push carts (non motorized) duly branded and fitted with electronic weighing scales to run
through densely populated residential localities and allow the consumer to buy fruit of his choice
from these carts. Through conscientious market practices of supplying uniform quality produce with
consistent weights and counts, Unifrutti has built healthy trade partnerships across all tiers of the
fruit supply chain. Stringent quality control practices ensure that freshness of fruit is maintained
through each leg of the journey its fruit takes from the farm to the market. Backward integration
projects to the farm level are underway to meticulously cover each step of the fruit supply chain. All
these activities and programs are front ended by a passionate team of extremely dedicated 90+
people who have put their best foot forward in commencing this journey to make Unifrutti as the
most recognized and preferred fruit brand in the country.
1.4 Quality Management System
A quality management system (QMS) for banana operations can be expressed as the procedures,
processes and resources needed to implement quality management. Quality management can be
considered to have three main components: quality control, quality assurance and quality
improvement. Quality management is focused not only on product quality, but also the means to
achieve it. Quality management therefore uses quality assurance and control of processes as well as
products to achieve more consistent quality. This manual describes the Quality Management System,
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
4
delineates authorities, inter relationships and responsibilities of the personnel responsible for
performing within the system. The manual also provides procedures or references for all activities
comprising the Quality Management System for banana operations to ensure compliance to the
necessary requirements of the standard.
This manual is used internally to guide the company’s employees through the various requirements
of the standards that must be met and maintained in order to ensure customer satisfaction, continuous
improvement and provide the necessary instructions that create an empowered work force. It is used
externally to introduce our Quality Management System in banana operations to the customers and
other external organizations or individuals. The manual is used to familiarize them with the controls
that have been implemented to assure them that the integrity of the Quality Management System is
maintained and focused on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.
Fig. 1 Quality Management System
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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2. Objectives of the Study
The key objectives of the study are as follows:
1. To understand the processes along the supply chain i.e. from procurement to the container
dispatching point with respect to the Unifrutti’s Banana Operations at Indapur, Maharashtra.
2. To map the existing procurement and pack house operations. Further, the suggestions for
improvement.
3. To suggest the measures for effective Quality Control in Banana Operations.
4. To calculate the Value chain costing in Banana operations of Unifrutti India at Indapur from
procurement till the container stuffing point.
5. To identify the challenges in the system and contribute with the corresponding suggestions.
6. To prepare the Banana Quality Management system manual in consideration with the above said
points.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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3. Literature Review
There are several factors that influence the post harvest quality management of fresh fruits and
vegetables. Apart from the pre-harvest factors such as pre-planting and in- field production practices,
harvesting is an important key point that dictates the ultimate post harvest quality management.
Other factors include physical, pathological, physiological and mechanical parameters. Proper
harvesting and apposite handling can minimize post harvest deterioration of fresh produce. In
general, the post harvest quality of fruits can be minimized through proper control of temperature,
humidity and environmental conditions. The storage life can be extended through proper cleaning,
sanitation and chemical treatments (Post harvest fact sheet; Post harvest and food technology Unit,
Brunei Agricultural Research Centre). Bananas are living organs subject to continuous changes after
harvesting. The major problems affecting banana quality are physical damage, decay and uneven and
unpredictable ripening. To control the banana quality, knowledge and understanding of involving
physical, chemical, biological and environmental factors are necessary. Over the past few years the
mechanism of fruit evolution are often clarified. The concept of quality has changed in recent years.
Standards define the requirements in quality assurance and banana production will comply with
these standards (J. Marchal: An overview of post-harvest aspects of banana; ISHS Acta
Horticulturae: International Symposium on Banana in the Subtropics). Banana ripens in three to
five days after harvesting. Ripening during the long distance transport and export, results in huge
post harvest losses. To delay ripening of fruits, vacuum packaging is one of the methods, where the
matured banana hands are packaged and prevented from contact with air/ oxygen. Using a simple
gadget for vacuum packaging, banana can be stored under vacuum. This delays ripening upto 21
days and further ripening is completed within one week after opening the package (Agricultural
Engineering College & Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; Coimbatore). Cold
chain is essential during the transport of export quality commodity all the way from the farm to the
customer. This helps in maintaining the temperature inside the box at the same low level as in the
cold storage.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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Most of the mechanical defects such as scaring, bruising, neck injury, crown trim, knife injury, and
latex stain were a result of human error. Rough handling of the bananas by both the harvesting labors
as well as pack house labors were all blamed for these defects. The other left over defects are either
physiological, due to some insect/pest, bacterial or fungal etc (Fonsah, E.G. – “Integrated Quality
Control Management strategies in banana production, packaging and marketing)”.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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4. Procurement Operations
Structure
• Mapping, Field Visits and Selection of Farms
• Tagging
• Harvesting
Purchase (procurement) is as important function as production in contributing to profit and other
objectives of an organization. It deserves all the skills and knowledge of modern professional
management. The importance of procurement function in agro-business is even more since (1) cost
of raw material constitutes a very high percentage of the total cost of processed products; (2) it
involves operations under highly fluctuating markets, and (3) it affects the economy of large number
of producers (farmers) often inviting government intervention. The importance of agro processing is
increasing in view of the expected large growth of demand for processed products for internal
consumption and exports, Entry of a number of large national and multinational corporations in
organized retailing of processed agro-based products, fresh fruits and vegetables and other
agricultural commodities has further created demand for professional procurement managers.
Agricultural commodities are organic matter. Their procurement is affected due to their perishable
nature, seasonality of production, production density, degree of freedom in quality control, etc. All
these individually and interactively, influence organizational pattern and management structure of
procurement system as well as processing operations.
Procurement managers of companies involved in buying commodities for processing and exports
often list the problems that they face in getting the material of right quality, in the right quantity, at
the right time and at the right price, caused by small and varied offerings of individual producers.
Agricultural export business has been particularly affected by this, since exporters have to function
in markets which are competitive in terms of quality, quantity, time and price.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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To sum up, a procurement manager starts the process of buying after learning the needs of the
company (in terms of quantity, quality, price, time and location), locates and selects the farmers,
negotiates the price and other terms related to handling, packing, transport, prepares a procurement
schedule, and ensures delivery at the agreed upon date and place. In this module, the procurement
processes are discussed in brief.
4.1 Mapping, Field Visits and Selection of Farms
The system established for farm mapping and farm selection is to ensure uniform availability of
specified export quality fruits & its procurement. The process of procurement starts from the farm
mapping itself. Mapping, in general, gives us the projection of the availability of raw material. Farm
mapping followed by field inspection and technical harvesting will complete the procurement
process. Mapping activity will be based on the pack house location and its peripheral coverage of the
surrounding area. Growers will be visited by introducing Unifrutti to them and their farm detail will
be taken. Farm details basically includes name of the farmer, his contact number, land holding under
banana (in acres), numbers of plants, variety sown and expected yield etc. Practically mapping is
done through farmer to farmer contacts. Based on the mapping activity as well as the existing
grower’s detail, field visit schedule will be planned. This schedule has to be validated & approved by
the operation manager. After completing the weekly visit schedule, procurement executive will visit
the farm along with the field inspection format on which the field inspection parameters are
mentioned and the farm has to be appraised on these parameters only. Field inspection report will be
shared with team as well as with the operation manager and a collective decision will be taken for
tagging. Before tagging, negotiation with the farmer is done on the grounds of mode of payment,
weight of Stalks, current local price and finally the price for procurement is decided. Based on the
availability and the proposed expected price by the growers, we will have an option to negotiate with
the farmers based on MIS of different grades of produce from the competitors and the available
expected price of the growers. The derived price will be discussed with the management and final
targeted price will be taken from them. If there is a difference between the derived price and the
targeted price then price renegotiation will happen with the grower. Based on the finally agreed price
a Purchase Order will be given to the farmer in which the estimated harvestable plants and quantity
will be mentioned.
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4.2 Tagging
After the terms and conditions are finalized with the farmer, tagging is done with a colored thread. A
vibrant color is used which is in contrast with green color so that it can be easily identifiable in the
field. Tagging team should tag the looms one day in advance of the harvesting plan. No malformed
bunches, overcall, bunches with defects to be tagged. Tagging team should submit the report of
tagged bunches to harvesting in charge. Tagging basically is the selection of banana looms in the
farmer’s field which are of export quality. The looms are checked thoroughly before tagging on the
validation of second hand- middle finger calibration with a caliper. The appraisal of looms is being
done on some other parameters as well viz. occurrence of any pest or disease, connectivity through
road, over or under calibration, loading points in the field, non- permissible defects etc. At last,
Number of tags determines the expected realization of raw material from a particular plot. After
tagging, procurement executive will prepare the harvest plan, and at least two days in advance, for
further confirmation with the operation manager. Procurement executives will also prepare the
Harvest Check List to ensure the perfect execution of the harvest plan.
4.3 Harvesting
The harvesting plan was prepared by the procurement executive one day prior to harvesting. The
harvesting plan also takes into consideration the allocation of vehicles, crates and foams to the
respective harvesting teams.
As per the approved harvest plan, harvesting of banana will be done by trained group of harvester
either self managed or provided by Service provider. Ideally, a harvesting team of 6 persons consists
of 1 cutter, 1 hand catcher, 1 foam inserter, 1 crate packer and 2 crate carriers. For harvesting of 10
MT of Banana minimum 3 teams are needed and so on. Procurement executive along with one team
leader will coordinate this activity. The course of action for harvesting is divided in several phases:
1. Cutting of hands from the looms on the tree itself, through a nylon thread, by making a notch
around the banana hand.
2. Cutter should start de-handing from bottom to top.
3. Immediately after de-handing, the hand catcher should catch the hand and should not allow
it to get it damaged.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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4. The hands are kept in the shade on the leaves (cutted down from the harvested plant).
5. Crate packer will pack these hands with proper placement of crown protection, crate liner
foam and crate matting foam.
6. Finger separator foams are inserted in between the hands of banana to avoid point scars.
7. To avoid latex stain on the fruits, it is advisable to deflower at pack house and not in the
farm.
8. The periphery foams and matting foams are placed in the crates and the hands are placed one
by one through inserting the hand separator foams in between.
9. Crates are tightly packed as single layer only. No double layer is allowed.
10. All the hands are to be packed in vertical position (crown down) inside the crate.
11. Finally, the crates are loaded into the trucks one by one.
12. Proper locking of the crates should be monitored to avoid crate collapse and fruit damage.
13. Harvesting supervisor has to maintain record of the number of bunches harvested and should
collect 6 stalks (2 long, 2 medium and 2 short) as a representative sample for calculation of
stalk's weight.
14. Harvesting supervisor should hand over a trip ticket to the driver mentioning the number of
crates loaded, farmer name and the time of dispatch of truck with his name and signature.
Fig.2 De- handing of Banana hands
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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Note:
Tools for Harvesting: Nylon cutting thread properly attached to wooden piece, harvesting crates of
600X400X325mm size, foam inserts of 12”X6” size, crown protector foam of 18”X9” size, crate
liner foam, crate matting foam, hand separator foams, finger incision foams, dial caliper and length
measuring tape.
Fig.3 Packing of crates after harvesting for transport to the pack house
There is a target for each harvesting team on the basis of number of tags in the respective plot,
distance from the pack house, availability of empty crates in the pack house etc. The harvesting labor
is being paid on per kilogram basis. So, the challenge is to maintain equilibrium between the rapidity
of harvesting and following the protocol consciously; as the labor is more inclined to give more
weight per day so as to increase their income. In this respect, Supervision/Monitoring yields good
results regarding the following of protocol while harvesting. It is observed that if the foam
instructions are followed as per the protocols, it can save scaring and bruising to great extent from
the point of harvesting to the pack house.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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Fig.4 Process Flowchart for Export of Banana
1. Harvest Plan
2. Harvesting of Fruits
3. Place the Fruits in crates
4. Load crates on truck
5. Transport to Pack House
6. Offloading
7. Weighing
8. Deflowering
9. Grading/Sorting
10. Weighing
11. Packing
12. Coding
13. Palletize
14. Code Pallets
Sample taking for QC
16. Quality Control Sampling 15. Container Loading
Intake Sheet
Incoming Material QC
Outgoing Material QC
Production Record
Dispatch Record
Empty Crates Removal
Crates Stacking
Waste Removal & weighing
Salvaging documentation
Waste Disposal
• Cutting • Foam Instructions
Processes prior to Harvest plan: • Mapping • Field Selection • Negotiation with Farmer • Tagging
Stickers and Pea Foams
Collection of Foams
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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5. Pack House Operations
Structure
• Offloading and weighing
• Deflowering
• Grading, Sorting and Fruit selection
• Weighment and Crown spray
• Labeling, Foam insertions and Packaging
• Palletization and Container Loading
A pack house is a place where products are brought after harvesting, to prepare them as per the
market requirements in terms of washing, cleaning, any other chemical treatment grading, packing,
cooling, storage and transportation. Pack house has facilities for performing these functions in such a
manner that products are prepared with utmost care and perfection to avoid injury or bruising of the
products. At this place, value addition is done without modifying the ultimate shape and utility of the
product. Not only is the cosmetic appearance of the produce enhanced, but also various fungicides
etc. are used. The shelf life of the product is also enhanced considerably. Similarly, packaging is also
done which is safe for the produce to be transported over long distance and to attract the consumer.
Packaging also helps in branding the commodity, which gives long term benefits.
Post-harvest technology is the fundamental for the preservation of quality and the reduction of
damage and wastage in the movement of banana from the grower to the consumer and covers all
those processes that fresh produce may undergo throughout this journey. Post- Harvest Technology
must be centered on a well organized pack-house that has been designed to meet the needs of the
produce being handled and of the customer, if a cost-effective and efficient operation is to be
established. The Objective of this module is to outline method of pack house procedures for export
quality Banana. To achieve the objective all pack house personnel must work together and see to it
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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that only the fruits that pass Unifrutti Quality Standards should be packed in the box. The pack house
operations include the following processes:
5.1 Offloading and weighing- Crates received from the farm should be unloaded carefully to avoid
the physical damage to produce. Foam placement, foam insertion, crate packing and fruit
quality1 on arrival is to be checked. For this, minimum 5 crate per truck needs to be checked
based on the ABC Quality Specifications. It gives us the projection of the approximate Export
Quality realization. Quality feedback should be passed on to harvesting team immediately for
corrective action, if necessary. Each and every crate is weighed and a weighment sheet is
prepared separately mentioning farmer name, truck number, date and number of crates received
etc. It should be monitored that the labors indulged in un-loading crates should not use any iron
hook for moving the staked crates from the truck. Crates after weighing should be handled
gently and put on the conveyor to reach the deflowering line. Prevent crates to hit each other
while moving them on conveyer. Once the receiving is complete, triplicate copy of the
weighment sheet cum goods received note (GRN) will be prepared.
Fig.5 Pack House Operations
1 Inward Quality Check
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5.2 Deflowering- Hands should be taken out of the crates very carefully to avoid neck injuries. The
foams and liners should be collected in an organized manner and kept in empty crates for re-use.
The empty crates along with foams should be stacked properly (not to be thrown). The crate liner
foams (periphery foams) should be collected separately and tied in a group of 100 units with a
thread to maintain better accountability. Reason being, these foams plays a critical role in
controlling scaring, bruising and scratches while transportation of raw bananas. The platform at
which banana hands are kept after taking out from the crates should be covered by a sheet of
foam to prevent scratches and bruising. At this point cleaning and dirt removal is to be done by
removing the flowers from the fingers along with any other trash or dirt. Soon after cleaning and
deflowering, the hands are to be slowly dropped in the selection tank to avoid physical injuries.
Utmost care should be taken to avoid falling of hands one over the other in the selection tank.
5.3 Grading, Sorting and Fruit selection- It is one of the most important operation in the pack
house. If done appropriately, good selection ensures consistent fruit quality and good quality
export realization.
Tools and materials: Sharp Selector’s knife, sharpening stone, fixed caliper (minimum and
maximum calibration), length measuring tape, sponge and detergent.
Fig.6 Tip Constriction- Mokillo
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Things to remember:
• Selector’s knife should be as per the standard shape and design and properly
sharpened. Selectors should cut the crown of each hand in crescent shape with smooth
cut and thoroughly scrutinize each hand.
• Remove dirt, dust and chemical stains with detergent, if necessary.
• Calibrate the middle outer fingers for 39 to 43 for small hands and 43 to 48 for large
hands. Also measure the length of small hands minimum upto 6.4”. De-fingering
from the sides can be done, if necessary.
• The adjacent fingers in the same line should not be removed. Otherwise, the hand
should be discarded for export quality.
• It is necessary to remove the defects like fused fingers, mutilated fingers, malformed
fingers, multi-layered hands etc while selection of hands.
Fig.7 Banana hands after grading and sorting
After this, selected hand should be gently places in the flotation tank containing alum for de-
latexing. Care should be taken to avoid tumbling of hands one above the other to prevent scaring.
5.4 Weighment and Crown spray- Weighing also plays a critical role for the assurance of quality as
well as of quantity. It has to be taken care that the fruits on tray are within the range of 13.2 to
13.4 Kg for export box and 20.2 to 20.4 Kg for domestic crates. Overweighing of boxes may
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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cause high packs, side bulging, bruises and mutilated fingers where as underweight will root
complaints from market. The labor responsible for weighing is supposed to weigh the hands on
tray in 4 basic categories for export viz. 4 hands (4H), 5 hands (5H), 6 hands (6H) and 7 hands
(7H) respectively. Hands having less than 12 fingers are not considered for export unless and
until they are made partner with other hand having same shape and size. Again it should be taken
care that partner hands are considered only for packing of 4H and 5H boxes and not in 6H and
7H boxes. After the export quality hands are segregated and weighed, the left over hands are
realized for domestic packing. For domestic, again the banana hands are segregated in 5 different
categories based on size and quality, namely, Premium large, premium small, large, small and
cluster. Basically, premium is of Grade ‘A’ and rest three is of Grade ‘B’.
Soon after weighing, the crown of the banana hands is sprayed with a solution of Benomil
(fungicide) and Alum2. The hand spray of sponge is used for application of fungicidal
solution manually. After that, trays containing the weighed fruit should be moved slowly on
the conveyor towards the packing line.
5.5 Labeling, Foam insertions and Packaging- Labeling and foam insertions are done on the
conveyors in between the weighing line and the packing line. Care should be taken that there
should be sufficient time for air drying of the fruit prior to final packaging. The Unifrutti labels
are pressed with thumb onto designated fingers 3in such a way that they should be properly
adhered to the banana fingers. The pea foams are inserted in between the inner and outer whorl
of banana hands to avoid friction while final packing. The fruit is finally packed in corrugated
boxes according to the Unifrutti specifications for materials to use and packing styles. The fruit
should not be forced into the box as this caused neck injuries. See to it that the foams are used
properly to avoid crown ride and tip bruising. High packs and side bulging of the fruits into the
box should be taken care of. For long distances vacuum packs are preferred to avoid bruises in
transit, but for short distances like overnight journey, poly packs (perforated liner bags) are
preferred. The packer should indicate the line number and packer number on the box so that it
2 Alum solution should be prepared 12 hours before the application. About 314 gm alum is used to prepare 50 lit of alum solution and is sufficient for one container load. Add 3gm of Benomil powder per 50 lit of water for effective fungicidal effect. Thoroughly mix the Benomil into alum solution. 3 Small hands: 3 labels per hand, Large hands: 1 label on every alternate finger.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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can be traceable at the time of QC. The packer should also mark the hand count stamp on two
sides of the top cover of to segregate the boxes as per hands count. After packing, the boxes
should be pushed gently on the conveyor for stacking.
Fig.8 Final Packaging of Banana for Export
Before stacking, the boxes are coded by an 8 digit number which serves as a production
record. For e.g. The box is coded as 28322545.
Fig.9 Box Coding
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After coding is done, 5 sample boxes are inspected for Quality Control as per ABC
specifications.
5.6 Palletization and Container Loading- Palletization is the method of storing and transporting
goods stacked on a pallet4, and shipped as a unit load. It permits standardized ways of handling
loads with common mechanical equipment such as pallet jack. In 40 Feet container we can load
18 pallets and one pallet can hold 70 boxes (10 floors and 7 boxes in one floor). Thus, a
container can accommodate 1260 boxes. Last 4 pallets need to be clubbed with strapping to
avoid falling in transit. Each pallet need to have 4 side corner posts and 5 strapping at 1,3,5,8 and
10th layer. Only last two pallets need to have top line corner posts and double vertical strapping
as well. Before loading last pallet, we need to start temperature data logger and fix it to the roof
of the container. Immediately after locking the door, start the generator by setting temperature of
the cooling unit of container at 13.5 degree Celsius.
Fig. 10 Cooling Unit of Container
4 A pallet is a flat wooden transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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6 Quality Control in Banana Operations
Structure
• Criteria for ABC Fruit Evaluation
• Quality control points (QCP’s)
Consumers demand high quality of the fruit they consume and they are interested in the taste,
appearance or shape of bananas. Consumers want to be informed about the fruit they are consuming
through appropriate labeling, tracking and traceability. The quality of the bananas would be
determined by size (length of fingers and thickness), evenness of ripening, absence of blemishes and
defects. Quality standards may vary in the different markets. There are 79 defects found in post
harvest banana fruit worldwide out of which around 30 are most critical in the Indian context for
export. We are going to confer in this section about those decisive defects and their tolerance levels
on the basis of ABC Quality specifications.
Table 1: Criteria for ABC Fruit Evaluation
Quality Defects Specification DEFECTS Code Measure A B C
Bruising BR Area Clean Clean Affects the Pulp of the
Fruits
Chemical Injury / Burn CI/ CB Area Clean 1.5 Label > 1.5 Label
Corky Scab CS Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Flowers FL Finger Clean 1 or 2 per Hand 3 or > 3 per Hand Gel Latex LG Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Harvesting Knife Cut KT Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Latex Stain New LSN Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Latex Stain Old LSO Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Leaf Scar LF Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Malformed Finger MFF Finger Clean 1 Finger 2 or More Malformed Hand MFH Area Maturity Stain MS Area 1.5 Label 1.5-3 Label > 3 Label Mutilated Finger MF Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Neck Injury NI Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Neck Stump NS Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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Nipple Like NL Finger Clean 1-49% >49 % Over Cal OC Finger Clean Clean >48 P House Knife Cut CT Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance
Scarring New / Old SRN / SRO Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label
Speckling SK Area 1.5 Label 1.5-2 Label > 2 Label Split Peel / Split Finger SP Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Sunburn SU Area Clean Clean No Tolerance Tip Constriction/ Mokillo TC
Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Too Few Fingers TF Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance Too Short TS Finger Clean Clean <6.5 inch Under Cal UC Finger Clean Clean <39 Yellow Blossom End YB Finger Clean Clean No Tolerance
.
The primary objective of this module is to adopt the integrated quality control management
strategies to resolve the prevalent quality problems in banana operations. The specific objectives are
to determine and trace the sources of main quality defects that are turn-offs to the end users and to
derive strategies aimed at either partially or completely alleviating the identified defects, so as to
guarantee the best quality products to consumers.
Fig.11 Neck Injury
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To determine the foremost defects, 65 export boxes containing 368 hands were examined according
to the ABC fruit evaluation parameters. The results are as follows:
Table 2: Defects found in final packing
Neck Injury NI Count 25Over OC Count 11
Bruising BR Count 8Mutilated finger MF Count 5
Scaring New SRN Count 23Too Short TS Count 10
Mutilated Hand MH Count 2Scaring Old SRO Count 6
Maturity Stain MS Count 3Corky Scab CS Count 5Speckling SPK Count 11Red Rust RR count 4Mokillo TC Count 4
Total 117
Most of the mechanical defects such as scaring, bruising, neck injury, crown trim, knife injury, and
latex stain were a result of human error. Rough handling of the bananas by both the harvesting labors
as well as pack house labors were all blamed for these defects. The other left over defects are either
physiological, due to some insect/pest, bacterial or fungal etc. But, they are not supposed to come
out in the final packing.
Fig. 12 Mechanical Injuries during transit
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To further control the incidence of these defects in the final packing for export, five quality control
points (QCP’s) were identified, namely;
1. Tagging.
2. Foam instructions while harvesting.
3. Grading, Sorting and fruit selection in the pack house.
4. Weighment before final packing.
5. Packaging.
6.1 Tagging is the initial stage from where the company is bind to take the fruit from the field. If the
tagging was not done conscientiously, it would result in the low export quality realization and thus
brings turn-offs for the management. The appraisal of looms is being done only after satisfying on
some parameters like occurrence of any pest or disease, connectivity through road, over or under
calibration, loading points in the field, non- permissible defects (ABC fruit evaluation criteria5) etc.
6.2 Foam instructions are the most critical point for preventing the defects such as bruising and
scaring during loading-unloading and transit. Proper foam instructions at the harvesting point will
hedge against the mechanical damages like exposure to compression, hard and rough surfaces etc.
6.3 Grading, Sorting and fruit selection is one of the most important operation in the pack house. If
done appropriately, good selection ensures consistent fruit quality and superior export quality
realization.
6.4 Weighment before final packing is critical because of the fact that every hand of banana passes
through the labor involved in weighing before it was finally packed for export. Simultaneously, there
is a need to closely supervise packers, since they are the last to have direct contact with the product
before shipment, so any error at this level is difficult to correct and consequently become a macro-
problem.
5 Refer to the Chapter “Quality Control in Banana Operations.”
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7 Value Chain Costing
Value chain costing is the activity-based cost model that contains all of the activities in the value
chain (procurement, produce, processing, inbound logistics etc) of an organization. The goal of these
activities is to offer the customer a level of value that exceeds the cost of the activities, thereby
resulting in a profit margin. The primary value chain activities in our context are:
• Inbound Logistics: the receiving of raw materials.
• Operations: the processes of transforming inputs into finished products.
• Outbound Logistics: the warehousing and distribution of finished goods.
• Marketing & Sales: the identification of customer needs and the generation of sales.
These primary activities are supported by:
• The infrastructure of the firm: organizational structure, control systems, company culture,
etc.
• Human resource management: employee recruiting, hiring, training, development and
compensation.
• Technology development: technologies to support value-creating activities.
• Procurement: purchasing inputs such as materials, supplies, and equipment.
The firm's margin or profit then depends on its effectiveness in performing these activities
efficiently, so that the amount that the customer is willing to pay for the products exceeds the cost of
the activities in the value chain. It is in these activities that a firm has the opportunity to generate
superior value. A competitive advantage may be achieved by reconfiguring the value chain to
provide lower cost or better differentiation.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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Fig. 13 Possible F&V Value Chains
As of now, it is required to analyze the value chain costing of the packed produce till the container
stuffing point. The cost per box is calculated starting from procurement to the final packaging of the
banana fruit at Indapur pack house {Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.}. The analysis is done with the total raw
material procured in a month i.e. 1st Non’09 to 30th Nov’09. The total number of boxes processed in
the above mentioned time frame is 11485. The detailed value chain costing is as follows:
Table 3: Value Chain Costing
Particulars Rate Unit Material Unit Amount (Rs)Fruit Purchase Rs 7.75 per kg 281,745.02 Kg 2,182,267.51 Farm Wastage (Stalk) 25,466.71 Kg Into Pack House 256,278.31 Kg Total Dispatch ( Export) 13.30 Kg x 11485 boxes 152,750.50 Kg Pack house Wastage 37235.10 Kg Realization ( Local Sales) Rs 3.87 per kg 37235.10 Kg 144100.17A Grade ( Domestic) Rs 8.77 per kg 43,447.25 Kg 380941.10B Grade ( Domestic) Rs 7.01 per kg 20,166.85 Kg 141420.73Dump 2,678.61 Kg
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Product Cost 1,515,805.50 Harvesting labor Re. 0.30 256,278.31 Kg 76883.4924 Primary Transport 113304.22Diesel 71704.22Rent 41600 Pack House 98950Labor 100 Rs 462.00 F Lab. 46,200.00 150 Rs 285.00 M Lab. 42,750.00 88950Diesel Generator6 36.12 Rs 276.854928 Liters 10000 . Packaging 766738.6Box Rs 50.52 per box 580222.2Foam Rs 10.22 per box 117376.7Liner Rs 4.57 per box 52486.45Glue Re 0.41 per box 4708.85Rubber Re 0.34 per box 3904.9Gluing Labor Re 0.70 per box 8039.5
Total Expense upto this point is Rs.2571681.82.
Hence, the cost per box = Total Expenses/ Total Number of Boxes = 2571681/ 11485= Rs. 223.92.
Thus, the cost per Kg. is = 223.92/ 13.30 = Rs. 16.836
6 Electricity Charges are not included in the Value Chain Costing.
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8 Challenges in the system
There are various burning challenges in the system which we need to overcome to execute a robust
Quality Management System. The foremost challenges are listed below:
1. To check the mechanical injuries to the banana fruit from harvesting procedures.
2. Lack of implementation of protocols deliberately by the laborers.
3. Lack of effective monitoring, especially for the Harvesting laborers.
4. Grooming the skills of laborers by repetitive orientation is lacking.
5. Flow of information between the procurement team, pack house team and management
during the ongoing operations is a matter of concern.
6. The procedures of performance tracking of both the executives as well as laborers concerned
in the system and the corresponding reinforcement is very pathetic.
7. Management of Inventory like foams and crates etc.
8. There are various time costs and the corresponding financial costs involved in the system
which must be taken seriously while planning for the procurement or pack house operations.
Some of the instances are as follows:
a) Switching from one plot to another on the same day during the harvesting operations.
b) The distance of the plot is far away from the pack house.
c) Offloading of the filled crates from the vehicles and loading of empty crates in the
pack house.
d) Idle time during the operations with both the harvesting as well as pack house labors.
e) Vehicle breakdowns, if any.
f) Shortage of Harvesting crates.
g) Shortage of foams, especially crate liner foams.
h) Longer loading distances in the plot due to a single loading point in the farmer’s field.
i) Allocation of crates to the respective harvesting laborers team.
j) Local labor versus in- house labor versus Contract Labor.
k) Disagreements with farmers on the earlier negotiated price for procurement.
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9. Suggestions and Recommendations
On the basis of the identified challenges in the system, the following are corresponding suggestions
and recommendations to execute the Quality Management System in Banana Operations:
i. Pocket shaped foams- Replacing the crate liner foams, crate matting foams and hand
separator foam with pocket shaped foams in which the banana hands are placed directly after
inserting single foam in between the upper and the lower whorl of banana hands (finger
incision foams). It will be of free size so that hands can be placed in it comfortable
irrespective of different shape and size. On an average, a crate can occupy 5-6 hands so the
same number of pocket sized foams are required to fill a crate load. Thus we can derive that a
truck load of raw material (126 crates) requires around 695 pocket shaped foams. Though it
will roughly incur around 1.2 times more cost than the ongoing practice of foam instructions
but on the other hand it will be much safer for the raw material and significantly reduce the
cases of mechanical injuries during transit. Besides this, during the process of harvesting it
will save significant time in packing of crates. The immediate challenge in following this
method is to trace a service provider who can fulfill our requirement judiciously.
Fig. 14 Dummy Pocket shaped foam
ii. Tracking of vehicles and flow of information- Tracking of vehicles occupied in the process
of harvesting and the flow of information regarding the updates between the procurement
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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executives, pack house executives and the management is a matter of concern in the ongoing
operations. The suggestion is to appoint an individual whose job is to follow up the
harvesting operations on hourly basis at different locations through telephonic conversations
with the harvesting labors or the truck drivers and disseminate the updated status to all the
stakeholders involved in operations. He is also responsible for managing the situations like
vehicle breakdowns, allotment of crates to respective vehicles, accountability of crates and
foam, check on wastage of foams and packaging material etc. This will help the management
in taking quick decisions and provides hedging against many of the pitfalls in the daily
operations.
iii. Division of task to increase efficiency of pack house executives- It is observed that there
are 2 or 3 executives responsible for the pack house operations. The nature of business is
such that they may be managing the operations even beyond the midnight. The problem is
that all the executives are doing everything and there is no significant division of task. To
handle the operations in a much better manner it is mandatory to distribute the work and
further it can be exchanged between themselves either daily or weekly (depending upon the
choice).
Let us suppose that there are 2 executives responsible for managing the pack house
operations. So, the task can be divided into 2 parts namely, Quality control and other
operations like loading- unloading of vehicles, managing the labors on respective lines,
stacking of boxes, counting of inventory, issuing delivery challan (DC) and gate pass etc.
Thus, one executive is strictly responsible for maintaining quality till from offloading cum
weighing to the final packaging while other is responsible for handling the above said
operations. It will make the work easier and more accountability can be maintained.
It was mentioned earlier that there are 5 basic quality control points (QCP’s) from where we
can keep a check on the quality issues; out of the 5, 3 are within the pack house. The
executive responsible for Quality control in the pack house should monitor those QCP’s
conscientiously and try to identify the root cause of the defects, so that, corrective action can
be taken, if possible.
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iv. Reward and punishment system- Rewards cause a positive attitude of labors towards an
organization. On the other hand, punishments have an aim to eliminate negative behaviors
inconsistent with organization's expectations.
In our context, harvesting labor should be given incentives on the basis of inward QC. The
parameters for inward QC will be fruit quality, percentage of injuries, packing of crates and
foam instructions etc. There should be the provision for appraisal like labor of the month and
team of the month for pack house and harvesting labors respectively. If caught red-handed in
any misconduct or substandard performance, punishment is mandatory. But, it should be
calculative and same for all. For example, deduction of Rs 10 from the daily wages etc.
Punishment can be effective in stopping undesirable workers behaviors such as tardiness,
absenteeism or substandard work performance.
v. Execution of Quality Circles- People are the greatest assets of an organization, because,
through people all other resources are converted into utilities. Quality Circle is one of the
employee participation methods. It implies the development of skills, capabilities, confidence
and creativity of the people through cumulative process of education, training, work
experience and participation. Quality Circles have emerged as a mechanism to develop and
utilize the tremendous potential of people for improvement in product quality and
productivity. Quality Circle is a small group of 6 to 12 employees doing similar work who
voluntarily meet together on a regular basis to identify improvements in their respective work
areas using proven techniques for analyzing and solving work related problems coming in the
way of achieving and sustaining excellence leading to mutual upliftment of employees as
well as the organization. It is "a way of capturing the creative and innovative power that lies
within the work force". The major prerequisite for initiating Quality Circles in any
organization is the total understanding of, as well as complete conviction and faith in the
participative philosophy, on the part of the top and senior management. The Quality Circles
also are expected to develop internal leadership, reinforce worker morale and motivation, and
encourage a strong sense of teamwork in an organization. A variety of benefits have been
attributed to Quality Circles, including higher quality, improved productivity, greater upward
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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flow of information, broader improved worker attitudes, job enrichment, and greater
teamwork.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
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10. Summary and Conclusion
Consumers demand high quality of the fruit they consume and they are interested in the taste,
appearance or shape of bananas. Consumers want to be informed about the fruit they are consuming
through appropriate labeling, tracking and traceability. The quality of the bananas would be
determined by size (length of fingers and thickness), evenness of ripening, absence of blemishes and
defects. The primary objective of the study is to adopt the integrated quality control management
strategies to resolve the prevalent quality problems in banana operations. The specific objectives are
to determine and trace the sources of main quality defects that are turn-offs to the end users and to
derive strategies aimed at either partially or completely alleviating the identified defects, so as to
guarantee the best quality products to consumers. To determine the foremost defects, 65 export
boxes containing 368 hands were examined according to the ABC fruit evaluation parameters. Most
of the mechanical defects such as scaring, bruising, neck injury, crown trim, knife injury, and latex
stain were a result of human error. Rough handling of the bananas by both the harvesting labors as
well as pack house labors were all blamed for these defects. To further control the incidence of these
defects in the final packing for export, five quality control points (QCP’s) were identified.
The study examines the implementation of integrated Quality Management System and the
corresponding strategies aimed at resolving endemic problems in banana operations. Emphasis was
laid on traceability of main sources of quality defects and developing strategies to alleviate them.
The results of the study showed that scarring, bruising, red rusts, nipple like apex, latex stains etc
were the major defects found in the final packed product. On the other hand, over-calibration,
grounded fruits, speckling, freckling, maturity stains, chemical stains and scratches were the
principle quality defects coming from the field.
On the basis of the identified challenges in the system, the corresponding suggestions and
recommendations were made to execute the Quality Management System in Banana Operations.
First of all, replacing the crate liner foams, crate matting foams and hand separator foam with pocket
shaped foams in which the banana hands are placed directly after inserting single foam in between
the upper and the lower whorl of banana hands (finger incision foams). It will be of free size so that
hands can be placed in it comfortable irrespective of different shape and size.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
34
Secondly, tracking of vehicles occupied in the process of harvesting and the flow of information
regarding the updates between the procurement executives, pack house executives and the
management is a matter of concern in the ongoing operations. The suggestion is to appoint an
individual whose job is to follow up the harvesting operations on hourly basis at different locations
through telephonic conversations with the harvesting labors or the truck drivers and disseminate the
updated status to all the stakeholders involved in operations. He is also responsible for managing the
situations like vehicle breakdowns, allotment of crates to respective vehicles, accountability of crates
and foam, check on wastage of foams and packaging material etc.
It is observed that there are 2 or 3 executives responsible for the pack house operations. The nature
of business is such that they may be managing the operations even beyond the midnight. The
problem is that all the executives are doing everything and there is no significant division of task. To
handle the operations in a much better manner it is mandatory to distribute the work and further it
can be exchanged between themselves either daily or weekly (depending upon the choice).Quality
Circle is one of the employee participation methods. It implies the development of skills,
capabilities, confidence and creativity of the people through cumulative process of education,
training, work experience and participation. Quality Circles have emerged as a mechanism to
develop and utilize the tremendous potential of people for improvement in product quality and
productivity.
There is a need to closely supervise packers in the pack house, since they are the last to have direct
contact with the product before shipment, so any error at this level is difficult to correct and
consequently becomes a macro problem. Finally, there was a significant increase in the total quality
of fruits processed as a result of the execution of 5 QCP’s and other suggestions and
recommendations.
“Quality Management System in Banana Operations”‐ Unifrutti India (P) Ltd.
35
References
i. Bradbury, G.K. - “The management of crop production to meet demands of volume and
quality.” CTA proceedings: 215-218. Arnhem, Neitherlands.
ii. Fonsah, E.G. – “Integrated Quality Control Management strategies in banana production,
packaging and marketing.”
iii. FAO, 2008. Banana Statistics.
iv. Fonsah, E.G. & S.N.D. Chidebelu 1995- “Economics of banana production and marketing in
the tropics.”
v. Proctor, F.J. 1993 – “Horticulture Crop Management within the production and marketing
system: Demands and constraints on quality assurance.”
vi. Annual Reports 1993-1997 Chiquita Brands International, Dole Food Company.