By Nadine Leavitt Siak
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Abundant harvests don't always equate with abundant food supplies. Poor harvest handling often results in withered, moldy, pest-infested fruits, vegetables and grain that never reach the consumer.

According to figures published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, APEC economies currently lose between 25 and 35 percent of their fruit and vegetable harvests and between 10 to 20 percent of their grain harvests each year due to poor post-harvest handling. China alone loses 35 percent of its national grain harvest, and Vietnam loses 20 percent of its horticultural products.

APEC leaders have decided to tackle the problem of post-harvest losses in several ways. First of all, because many of these post-harvest losses are attributable to inadequate infrastructure -- such as inadequate transportation or insufficient electricity for drying grain or refrigerating fresh fruits and vegetables -- APEC supports infrastructure investment.

Besides supporting initiatives in building new roads, railroad systems, and modern warehouses, APEC is also supporting educational initiatives. One such educational project, funded in part by the Australian AID APEC Support Scheme, centers on a computer-assisted learning package on grain storage that was developed in collaboration with Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. The interactive CD-ROM -- available in Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese -- includes nine tutorials with still pictures, videos and computer simulations. The CD-ROM covers a wide range of topics impacting harvest quality -- from proper drying procedures and storage management, to the identification of insect pests, molds and mycotoxins. This educational package has been used to train people from private companies, government agencies, universities, and research organizations. For example, the official Vietnamese quarantine service is using the package in its in-house training programs.

Other APEC educational initiatives on post-harvest technologies have focused on higher-level seminars that contribute to the dissemination of research results -- an activity that in itself can lead to more significant results. Dr. George Srzednicki, an expert on Food Science and Technology at the University of New South Wales (Australia), says APEC-sponsored technical seminars are especially worthwhile since they provide opportunities for scientists from developed as well as developing economies to meet, exchange information, and improve their knowledge.

"Many successful research projects of regional importance have resulted from such meetings over the past 20 years," Srzednicki says. As an example, he credits APEC-facilitated networking with helping develop a technological breakthrough in rice harvesting.

Rice produced in APEC members has traditionally been sun-dried -- this leads to large losses of grain due to germination and general deterioration, particularly during the rainy season. While it is now generally accepted that mechanical drying is the best means of preserving rice quality and reducing post-harvest losses, this knowledge is of little value unless an appropriate and inexpensive mechanical drying technology is available to a typical rice farmer. Srzednicki says that a collaboration between Australian and Thai experts in post-harvest technology -- indirectly brokered by APEC seminars -- has helped make such a rice dryer available. Their research has led to the development a commercially viable rapid fluidized-bed dryer capable of reducing moisture in the type of very wet grain common in the tropics. A Thai company has already sold more than 100 of these rice dryers to farmers in Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Mexico, and Taiwan.

While this rice dryer is an indirect APEC success, it is an example of the power of knowledge in enhancing the food supply. Another, more ambitious APEC endeavor called the APEC Post Harvest Network Project (PHNP) has been initiated with the long-term objectives of reducing grain and perishable fruit and vegetable losses via networking, collaborative research, and training and education. At present, the project coordinators are focused on an initial feasibility study aimed at establishing a network among those participating in R&D in post-harvest technology. Its website [URL: www.kmutt.ac.th/postharvest] has begun to provide a comprehensive listing of all post-harvest related products, services, people, organizations, research activities and facilities worldwide.

Experts predict that if population trends continue, the world will have to produce 40 percent more grain by 2020. At the same time, it is clear that urbanization and environmental pressures mean that only a fraction of the increase in grain production is likely to come from expanding land under cultivation. APEC members realize that the issue of food security is complex -- but among the many possible approaches, they have made sure not to overlook the simple truth: "Waste not, want not."