SOUTHEAST ASIA COOPERATIVE POST-HARVEST RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME; TECHNICAL TEAM REPORT NO. I

A technical team of experts was pooled to stimulate, to coordinate, and to provide for consultant services on research and development of postharvest technology. Some operational problems are recognized: not all the major assistance agencies interested in postharvest technology joined the team effort; and the team is well funded internally, but it has no funds to use in stimulating research activities in the different countries. The report discusses regional activities such as newsletters, workshops, exchange programs, and a subcommittee on food handling. The countries involved were Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The technical problems in southeast Asia are: the low efficiency of commercial mechanical threshers for the wet season"s harvest; the design and development of a drying system to match the existing constraints; the bio-physical problem of bulk storage in the humid tropics; and the low efficiency of village mills. The plan of work for 1978 includes a workshop in Bangkok; training courses in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand; a continued consultation service on research and development for facilities and projects; the publication of two Postharvest Quarterlies; the planning of an exchange program for 1978-79; and the publication of technical data and papers.