For export and local market, the fruit must be harvested with long stems with clippers or secateurs and immediately destemmed and de-sapped in the orchard.
Fruit must not be placed on the ground, it could lead to skin damage and postharvest diseases.
Cultivars that are not sensitive to latex burn and lenticel damage (‘Kent’) can be harvested with shorter stems and placed directly in bins or lug boxes.
Make sure that the pickers have short finger nails to prevent fruit damage.
The pickers should avoid smearing the latex over the fruit with their hands or dripping on other de-stemmed fruit. Latex can cause severe burn on the skin and will cause that the fruit cannot be graded as Class 1.
The fruit that are exported should be selectively picked since it is going to take weeks before they reach the consumer.
Take care in transporting the fruit to the pack house and try not to exceed 12 hours from picking to arrival at the pack house.
Cover fruit if transported for long distances to avoid sunburn and dust accumulation.
Offload fruit gently and keep in a shaded area before packing can commence
