Fruit Prices Research Articles

INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF CONSUMING FRUIT ON CONSUMER PREFERENCES IN TEMUCO, REGION OF THE ARAUCANÍA

ABSTRACT With the aim of identifying strategies to increase fruit consumption in Temuco, consumer segments were classified according to the importance and preference of theattributes type of fruit, package/ brand, benefit associated with fruit consumption and price. A survey was applied to 400 people in Temuco,Chile, distributed using a simple allocation: 200 working adults and 200university students. The questionnaire included the SWFL (Satisfaction with Food-related Life) scale, respondents’ fruit consumption habits and their characteristics. Using conjoint and cluster analyses, three segments were distinguished: Group 1 (22.0%) gave greatest importance to the package/brand and preferred themessage “prevents diseases” and “without information”; Group 2 (47.5%) gave greatest importance to the package/brand and preferred the message “prevents diseases”; Group 3 (30.5%) assigned greatest importance to the price and preferred the message “contains antioxidants”. The segments differed in their level of satisfaction with food-related life, self-declared lifestyle, age and presence of university students. The results provide input to promote fruit consumption in working adults and university students.

Phisico-Chemical Response of Seven Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Apple Fruit Varieties to Different Storage Conditions

Apple fruits are among the most consumed fruits in the world, an increased demand of good quality fruits being observed also during the winter and spring period, therefore the storage performance of apple fruits is a very important aspect for a good crop valorization. Fruit flesh firmness, fruit sugar content and its weight loss during storage are very important factors in assessing the quality of fruits, as well as their storage performance. The irrigation regime and the storage conditions are also very important aspects to fruit growers, as they can influence the yield, the quality and also the price for fresh fruits. Therefore, the interactions of these factors are studied, in order to observe the effects they have on the evolution of the three parameters for fruit quality, during the storage period.

CHALLENGES FACED BY COMMERCIAL KIWIBERRY (ACTINIDIA ARGUTE PLANCH.) PRODUCTION

Commercial production of the kiwiberry (Actinidia arguta) is relatively new in northern and western Europe. When introducing the kiwiberry to a region where fruit growers have no experience with Actinidia, many challenges have had to be overcome. For instance, the profile of the growers willing to invest in this crop is very diverse, the geographic regions have their specific climatic and soil conditions and, clearly, cultivation of the kiwiberry has very specific requirements. Therefore, proper technical advice is extremely important to obtain productive orchards. Although A. arguta is quite hardy, spring frosts are a major concern and a strongly limiting factor for yields in Europe. In recent initiatives, different cultivars with a commercial potential are being screened for frost tolerance, but currently, frost protection using sprinkler irrigation is in many cases the only and most effective system. However, growing kiwiberries in greenhouses appears to be a valuable and commercially viable alternative in The Netherlands and Belgium. The combination of a recommended fertilizer program and irrigation management, artificial pollination methods, appropriate pruning and good training has proven to be a very successful approach with yields as high as 18 t/ha five years after planting. Apart from establishing productive orchards, the successful introduction of kiwiberry as a novel fruit onto the market involves other important issues as well. Since the price of new fruits is usually rather high, growers have to realize that a product quality is essential for long-term success. Therefore, much attention must be paid to efficient grading and stringent quality control.

Availability, Price, and Quality of Fruits and Vegetables in 12 Rural Montana Counties, 2014.

We assessed the consumer food environment in rural areas by using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores (NEMS–S) to measure the availability, price, and quality of fruits and vegetables. We randomly selected 20 grocery stores (17 rural, 3 urban) in 12 Montana counties using the 2013 US Department of Agriculture’s rural–urban continuum codes. We found significant differences in NEMS–S scores for quality of fruits and vegetables; of 6 possible points, the mean quality score was 4.5; of rural stores, the least rural stores had the highest mean quality scores (6.0). Intervention strategies should aim to increase fruit and vegetable quality in rural areas.

뽕나무 수령 및 오디 생산성, 오디균핵병 및 가격비교 연구

Though mulberry fruit is known to a by-product that was produced from mulberry tree after harvesting leaves for silkworm rearing, as a yield and consumption of mulberry fruit was increased, it has been fixing to a new income crop. But, a stable production of mulberry was issued on damage by the weather disaster, so it is requires that agricultural disaster insurance import. So, in this study as a basic research for a importation of agricultural disaster insurance, the cultivation of mulberry for the production of mulberry fruits, the shape of tree, the number of a bearing fruit from each cultivar, the occurrence of mulberry fruit sclerotic disease, and a yield and the market price of mulberry fruits were investigated and that results obtained were as follows; The number of mulberry tree each 10a was abundant in Buan and Jeongeup region that cultivated a suitable cultivar on low cut shape, however, a large cultivated Gochang region was little. The number of a bearing fruit per 1m on the branch was highest in the variety of Cheongilppong at Gochang. Yield of mulberry fruits each 10a was Cheongilppong at Gochang, followed by Iksuppong at Sangju. Average sale price of the mulberry fruits was high in the order of Gwasang No. 2, Suwonppong, Iksuppong, and Cheongilppong.

Zmienność cen owoców i środków produkcji a sytuacja ekonomiczna producentów w Polsce

The paper contains the analysis of prices volatility of chosen fruit species and means of production and its effect on economic situation of fruit growers in Poland in years 2001–2012. Results of research showed that prices of strawberries and raspberries were characterized by the highest volatility. The lowest volatility of fruit prices was observed in pears production. Among analysed prices of means of production, the highest rise was observed in hourly wages and prices of fertilizers. The analysis of volatility of prices of fruits and means of production revealed that the economic situation of apples’ and pears’ producers has undergone deterioration. However, raspberry producers faced improvement of their economic situation.

Sustainable Household Food Consumption Patterns in Zhangye City of Heihe River

The transformation on the demand for Food plays an important role in the adjustment about prices of agricultural products and agricultural structure. The study, by utilizing the extended linear expenditure system, analyses the food consumption structure of rural residents in the Ganzhou of Zhangye city, determines the basic food consumption demand, the marginal propensity of consumption, the income elasticities of demand, the own- price and cross-price elasticities of local rural residents, which illustrates the influencing factors about food consumption of rural residents and forecasts the food consumption structure. The results show that the rural residents' expenditure on household basic food consumption reaches about 7050.35 Yuan; the marginal propensities of consumption for fruit and vegetable are relatively high (respectively, 0.062 and 0.106), followed by meat (0.044); the demands for various food are increasing, as income increasing, the largest income elasticity of demand is corresponding to fruit (1.354), the lowest to cereal (0.310); the fruit and vegetables own the relatively high own- price elasticities (respectively -0.879 and -0.442), the cereal owns the lowest one (-0.184). The price increase of cereal will greatly affect demand for other products; the consumption for meat is decreasing whereas for cereal is increasing with the rising size of rural households; As the improvement of household education level, it will lead to increased consumption of fruits (E = 0.297); the amount of cereal expenditures is continually growing nevertheless the share is declining with the increase of household income in 2012-2020. Therefore, making sure the stability of cereal output the government should encourage the cultivation of Economic crops and guide the development of stockbreeding. In order to attain the balance between supply and demand, it is important to adjust rationally the prices of fruits and vegetables on the basis of the stable price with cereal.

과실 병해충에 대한 공적방제조치의 가치분석

ABSTRACT : The objective of this study is to estimate the economic value of official management and control for invasive insects and diseases in fruits. The direct and indirect effect of this control measure can be the changes in price of fruits and related goods, changes in export volume of domestic fruits, changes in total volume of fruit production, and reduce the risk in food safety. The contingent valuation method with the single-bounded dichotomous choice is employed to estimate each household’s willingness-to-pay (WTP) to maintain official management and control measures. The total number of sample consists 2,050 respondents between the ages of 19-60 years, and the survey is conducted using Web-based survey. The estimated results for mean WTP is 5,443won per month per household. Therefore, the total economic value of official management and control on fruit in Korea is estimated to be approximately 94.4 billion won per month. Key words : Disease and Insect Pest, Public Control Measure, Fruits, Contingent Valuation Method, Willingness to Pay

An Impact of the Characteristics of Individual Household and Its Shopping Behavior on the Purchase Prices of Fruits

An Impact of the Characteristics of Individual Household and Its Shopping Behavior on the Purchase Prices of Fruits

Machine vision technology for detecting the external defects of fruits — a review

Machine vision is a rapid, consistent and objective inspection technique, which has expanded into many diverse industries. Its speed and accuracy provide one alternative for an automated, non-destructive and cost-effective technique to accomplish ever-increasing production and quality requirements. This method of inspection has found applications in the agricultural industry, including the inspection and grading of fruits. The presence of skin defects is one of the most influential factors in the price of fruit, since most consumer associate quality with a good appearance and the total absence of external defects. However, defect is more difficult than colour, shape and size to be inspected and graded. In this paper, current applications of machine vision in fruit external defects detection are briefly reviewed. Some detection technologies were presented. These technologies include image processing methods based on fruit two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) information, and hyperspectral and multispectral imaging. In addition, their advantages and disadvantages are also discussed. Development of multi-camera combination imaging systems will ensure that computer vision technique continues to meet the accuracy and quality requirements needed in this highly competitive and challenging fruit industry. However, reducing of processing time and merging analysis of different type of images will be still a challenge since the combination systems are more complicated in a real-time application.

Self-reported Willingness to Pay for Texas Persimmon Fruit as a Food Source

The purpose of this study was to test the consumer-stated willingness to pay (WTP) of a native Texas plant fruit product, texas persimmon (Diospyros texana), for the restaurant industry, as well as for the consumer market. Farmers’ markets and restaurants specializing in either local foods, organic foods, or both were the focus of the market samples. Responses were gathered from five cities located in the geographic area of central Texas where the fruit is native including: San Marcos, Austin, New Braunfels, Wimberley, and Bastrop. About 400 quantitative survey responses were collected from farmers’ markets consumers during market days. Seven interviews collecting qualitative responses from restaurateurs provided more in-depth data on the value of the product to specialty restaurants. Restaurateurs responded positively to the texas persimmon and stated they would be willing to pay between $3.59 and $3.69/lb of texas persimmon. Results indicated the prime audience for the texas persimmon to be those who attend farmers’ markets in the age group of 25–34 years who value locally produced foods and are concerned about the environment. Farmers’ market consumers were willing to pay prices similar to specialty fruit prices.

Zhodnotenie vývoja cien vybraných rastlinných komodít agrárneho trhu Slovenskej republiky

The objective of the paper is to evaluate the price development of the chosen commodities in plant production in Slovakia and to focus on the factors influencing the increase or decrease in the price of commodities on the domestic and foreign markets. In 2008 the prices of the products in a year–on–year plant production increased by 1.6 %. The price of the plant products, including fruits and ve­ge­tab­les recorded the biggest increase since January 2008 until October 2008. The biggest increase in prices was recorded in June (increase of 52.7%). The high prices of oil plants and legume were one of the causes in a year–on–year price increase (oil plants increase by 23.3% and legume −15.7%). Price development on the domestic market of cereals and oil plants was influenced in the first three terms by growing stock–exchange value and the high demand from the side of foreign buyers connected with the increasing production of biofuels. On the other hand, in the last term of the year 2008, there can be seen the rapid decrease of the prices of cereals and oil plants because of the high production and the development of the world prices. The prices of fruits, evaluated in 2004–2008, recorded the biggest increase in January and February 2008 (in January 2008 – increase by 22.1% and February 2008 – increase by 23.2%). Prices of vegetables slightly grew in the monitored period. The biggest increase was recorded in December 2006 and in January and February 2007 (more than 15%).

The role of perceived barriers in explaining socio-economic status differences in adherence to the fruit, vegetable and fish guidelines in older adults: a mediation study.

We aimed to identify barriers for meeting the fruit, vegetable and fish guidelines in older Dutch adults and to investigate socio-economic status (SES) differences in these barriers. Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of these barriers in the association between SES and adherence to these guidelines. Cross-sectional. Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA), the Netherlands. We used data from 1057 community-dwelling adults, aged 55-85 years. SES was measured by level of education and household income. An FFQ was used to assess dietary intake and barriers were measured with a self-reported lifestyle questionnaire. Overall, 48.9 % of the respondents perceived a barrier to adhere to the fruit guideline, 40.0 % for the vegetable and 51.1 % for the fish guideline. The most frequently perceived barriers to meet the guidelines were the high price of fruit and fish and a poor appetite for vegetables. Lower-SES groups met the guidelines less often and perceived more barriers. The association between income and adherence to the fruit guideline was mediated by 'perceiving any barrier to meet the fruit guideline' and the barrier 'dislike fruit'. The association between income and adherence to the fish guideline was mediated by 'perceiving any barrier to meet the fish guideline' and the barrier 'fish is expensive'. Perceived barriers for meeting the dietary guidelines are common in older adults, especially in lower-SES groups. These barriers and in particular disliking and cost concerns explained the lower adherence to the guidelines for fruit and fish in lower-income groups in older adults.

PSY71 - Inter-Temporal Change Of Body Mass Index In BrazilWhat Is The Role Of Food Prices?

Obesity can be understood as a problem resulting from the imbalance between the intake and the individual caloric expenditure, which has sparked concern among researchers and policymakers in public health. The alert comes up with the fast growth in the prevalence of obesity in adults and children in Brazil. In this context, the challenge of this essay is to analyze the major changes in BMI between 2002 and 2009 and to estimate the relationship between food prices and obesity, in order to check the effect of food prices on BMI in Brazil. To assess the changes in BMI over time, first of all, we analyze its distribution using the relative distribution method proposed by Handcock and Morris (1998). Then, recentered influence function (RIF) regressions were applied to decompose the changes in the BMI distribution into composition and structure effects and identify the specific contribution of food prices. The empirical estimates needed are based on micro-data from household budget survey in two points of time: 2002-2003 and 2008-2009 accomplished by the Brazilian Institute of geography (IBGE). Were considered only the information regarding the adult population aged less than 20 years. The main changes in BMI distribution showed that the density has moved to the right over the time and there were increases in the right hand tail. Despite the small effect, the RIF results show that the prices variations over the period contributed to change BMI. If prices had not changed, the median BMI would be 0.22 higher. The increases in the prices of meat, ssb and fruits and vegetables showed the greatest mean effects on BMI, especially to upper quantiles of the distribution. There are also evidences that income and age contributed to rise BMI, while education is associated to a lowering effect.

Abstract P062: The Effect of Food Pricing on Dietary Behaviors and Adiposity: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: While food pricing is a promising strategy to improve diet and reduce cardiometabolic disease, most prior evidence comes from cross-sectional price elasticity estimates. The prospective impact of food pricing on dietary behaviors and obesity has not been systematically evaluated. Objective: To systematically investigate and quantify the effect of price change on dietary intake and on adiposity, as well as whether other underlying factors alter these effects. Methods: Using MOOSE and PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, EconLit, OVID, Cochrane library, Web of Knowledge, and CINHAL for prospective observational or interventional studies of price differences and diet (foods, drinks, energy) or adiposity. Studies were excluded if cross-sectional; price data collected before 1990; or reporting only crude risk estimates. Data were extracted independently and in duplicate. Findings were pooled using inverse-variance meta-analysis Results: From 2,299 identified abstracts, 21 met inclusions. These included 6 randomized trials and 7 quasi-experimental studies in different settings (supermarket, school/workplace cafeteria, restaurant) in 3 countries (US, New Zealand, Netherland); and 8 observational studies mostly using nationally representative US data. Studies evaluated effects of increase (n=10, 1-35% increase) in price (fast food, energy dense snacks, soda) and decrease (n=11, 10-50% decrease) in price (fruits, vegetables, low fat/calorie products) among adults (n=13) and children (n=8). Studies consistently showed that price increases led to decreased consumption; effects of price decreases on consumption and price increases/decreases on BMI were less consistent. A mean $0.43/serving (12 oz) increase in price of soda was associated with 2.77 servings/wk lower consumption (95% CI: 1.58. 3.96, n=4 studies). A mean %30/serving decrease in price of fruits and vegetables was not significantly associated with consumption (+536 g/d, 95% CI: -427, 1500, n=2 studies). High between study heterogeneity was evident for price increase and soda intake and price discount and fruit intake. Conclusions: These prospective results support taxation to reduce soda intake. More evidence from prospective studies and trials is needed on food pricing and other dietary outcomes and adiposity.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF 'KLUAI KHAI' FOR EXPORTING IN THAILAND

Supply chain management is very important to improve quality of fruits. The study was conducted in Chanthaburi Province (5 districts, viz., Makham, Pong Nam Ron, Tha Mai, Khao Khitchakut and Klung) and Sukhothai Province (2 districts, viz., Sawankhalok and Thung Saliam) from October 2009 to May 2010 through structured interview of farmers, collectors, and exporters. In Chanthaburi, it was found that ‘Kluai Khai’ banana was grown as intercrop in fruit orchards. Plant density was approximately 937-1,562 plants/ha, depending on the spacing of the main fruit crop. Average yield was 1 ton per rai (1 rai=0.16 ha). Two to three suckers were usually allowed to grow per mother plant. Fruit bunches were harvested when fruit angularity was 3/4 light full and sold to the collectors. The produce was sorted into two grades, standard grade and under-standard grade or off-grade. About 60-70% of the total production met the standard grade while the rest was off-grade due to insect and disease damage and/or under fruit size. Fruit hands that met the standard grade were subjected to postharvest operation conducted by the collectors who graded them into three sizes; AAA, AA and A, before packing into cardboard boxes and loaded onto a refrigerated truck at 13-14°C. This operation usually took 8-12 hours. Price of off-grade fruits was 8-10 times lower than that of standard-grade fruits. In Sukhothai, the banana had been grown as main crop at the density of 2,500 plants/ha. Only one sucker was allowed to grow successively after flower emergence of the mother plant. Postharvest handling operation was done at the farmers’ orchard by the exporters. Fruit hands with insect pest, disease damage and small sized or undeveloped fingers, usually about 5-10 and 10-20% of total production, respectively, were sorted out and sold in local markets. Fruit hands that met the standard (60-70%) were graded into three sizes. Most exporters (74%) took 14-24 hours to complete the operation while the rest (26%) took 6-10 hours. Average yield was 0.36 t/ha and the production cost was around 66.6 US$/ha.

DORMANCY BREAKING AND ADVANCEMENT OF MATURITY INDUCED BY HYDROGEN CYANAMIDE: A STRATEGY TO IMPROVE PROFITS IN SWEET CHERRY PRODUCTION

Research with hydrogen cyanamide has shown that applications before bud break can be an effective endodormancy-breaking treatment for cherries. An experiment was performed in the Alto Valle of Rio Negro, Argentina, on ‘New Star’ sweet cherry to evaluate the effect of three concentrations of Dormex® (hydrogen cyanamide) on bud break and ripening to obtain economic benefits with first fruit achieving the highest price in overseas markets. Four treatments were performed 30 days before bud break, each treatment covering 6 trees: Dormex® 2% (vol/vol), Dormex® 3%, Dormex® 4% and Control (water). Dormex® treatments were applied with commercial surfactant (2%). Phenology was recorded twice a week, and fruit weight, color, soluble solids and titratable acidity were evaluated during four harvest dates. The optimal maturity for commercial harvest was defined when fruits reached values between 2 to 3 of the color chart (EEA Alto Valle INTA- Area Postcosecha). The cost of Dormex® application was calculated taking into account direct and indirect operating costs. Studies of fresh fruit prices (5 kg boxes) were analyzed for different markets and dates (weeks). Results showed that 4% Dormex® applications advance flowering and fruit maturity approximately 10 and 7 days for ‘New Star’. This allowed marketing in weeks 48/49 (instead of week 50 for the control treatment) when fruit prices ranged from 3% to 40% higher depending on the market. We conclude that Dormex® applied to early-ripening cultivars may improve grower profits by reaching markets before prices drop.

A study on behaviour of arrivals and prices of fruits in Narwal market of Jammu

Fruits occupies a place of importance in the horticultural wealth and economy of the country. The present study was conducted in Narwal market of Jammu district. The average monthly arrivals and prices for the period w.e.f 2007–08 to 2010–11 were collected from Narwal market of Jammu and it was found that the market arrivals and prices of fruits varies to each other. The analysis shows that the prices move contrary to arrivals. It has been found that the seasonal nature of fruits creates glut in the market which leads to sharp fall in prices during the post harvest season and affects the orchardists adversely. The highest market arrivals in the Narwal mandi of Jammu commensurate with the harvesting date of the produce and it was found that peak market arrival period in case of banana was from July with arrivals of 16008.33 q to October with arrivals of 27451.67 q whereas in case of papaya, the arrivals were highest (4525.00 q) in April and in guava in the month of March (2335.00 q). It was also noticed during the analysis that the major portion of the farmers’ produce was sold at the lower price in the post harvest period thereby lowering their incomes.

Profitability and constraints of pineapple production in Osun State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT Pineapple is a delicious tropical fruit with a fine flavour and high nutritive value. It is one of the most important commercial fruit crops in the world. Despite its popularity, no proper data on the costs of its production in Nigeria are available. The study determines profitability and constraints of pineapple production in Osun State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to obtain information from 50 respondents using purposive and random selection. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and budgetary technique. Results indicated that majority of the farmers were males, aged 53.7 years on average and engaged full time in pineapple production. The modal level of farmer’s education was primary. The average period of experience in pineapple farming was 13.5 years. The gross margin and net profits in Naira (Nigerian currency) were N182 725 and N162 045, respectively. The questionnaire in the study contained the most serious problems confronting pineapple farmers: limited availability of high quality planting materials, high fruit perishability, low fruit prices, low access to credits and plant diseases. Availability of high yielding pineapple varieties, establishment of cold storages to reduce fruit perishability, agricultural price support programmes, easier access to credit from formal sources and farmers’ education were considered essential to improve productivity and profitability of pineapple production in Nigeria.

Food prices and body fatness among youths

We examine the effect of food prices on clinical measures of obesity, including body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (PBF) measures derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), among youths ages 12 through 18 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This is the first study to consider clinically measured levels of body composition rather than BMI to investigate the effects of food prices on obesity outcomes among youths classified by gender and race/ethnicity. Our findings suggest that increases in the real price per calorie of food for home consumption and the real price of fast-food restaurant food lead to improvements in obesity outcomes among youths. We also find that a rise in the real price of fruits and vegetables leads to increased obesity. Finally, our results indicate that measures of PBF derived from BIA and DXA are no less sensitive and in some cases more sensitive to the prices just mentioned than BMI, and serve an important role in demonstrating that rising food prices (except fruit and vegetable prices) are indeed associated with reductions in obesity rather than with reductions in body size proportions alone.