Technical Innovations in Sea Transport of Local Banana Varieties (Musa sp) in the Philippines

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Over-ripening of local banana varieties (Saba, Lakatan and Latundan) for domestic market is a big problem during inter-island transport in the Philippines. This can be attributed to bulk handling, inappropriate container van and high transit temperature. Rapid appraisals over two decades documented the technical innovations done by the key players in the supply chain to alleviate the problem. Commercial shipment trials from southern to northern Philippines using ethylene absorbent were also conducted to reduce ripening.

Seven major modifications in the design of non-refrigerated container van have been adopted over a span of two decades for sea transport of bananas. The improvements were focused primarily on provision for heat exhaust and supply of fresh air to the fruits. Use of ice blocks in the bulk load during sea transit proved effective and consistent in delaying ripening. Inclusion of ethylene absorbent in 15 commercial shipment trials reduced ripening by 44%, with a wide range in percentage of ripening reduction.

Keywords: ethylene absorbent, inter-island transport, modified container van, non-refrigerated transport, ripening

INTRODUCTION

Local bananas like ‘Saba’ (Musa BBB), ‘Lakatan’ (Musa AA) and ‘Latundan’ (Musa AAB) are grown mainly in the southern part of the Philippines. However, fruit demand is greatest in the northern part of the country where more than half of its total population resides (NSO 2012).

Being an archipelago, inter-island transport is the major means of distributing fruits to the domestic markets in the country. However, the use of reefer van in sea transport is uncommon because of its high operational cost. Instead, fruits are loaded in sealed non-refrigerated container van i...

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