Programme: All

The project involves the purchase of 624 plastic box pallets to be used during the harvesting, transportation, and storage of watermelons grown on an area of 170 decares. The pallets are made of UV-stabilized, impact-resistant high-density polyethylene (HDPE), with dimensions of 1200x1000x785 mm, a capacity of 690 liters, a load capacity of up to 500 kg, and a net weight of 38 kg.

The farm currently uses similar box pallets, but their number is insufficient for the production volume. As a result, bulk transportation is still being used, which has several drawbacks, including:

A significantly higher percentage of technological losses due to the weight pressure on fruits at the bottom of the trailers, as well as impact between fruits and with the trailer walls;

The need for additional manual labor to unload the goods at the storage location prior to sale;

A slower harvest-unload cycle, which increases the time required for collecting the produce, resulting in prolonged exposure of the fruit to sunlight, which rapidly degrades its quality and market appearance, and shortens its shelf life.

The newly purchased box pallets will be integrated into the harvesting and storage processes. The pallets will be loaded onto platforms or trailers, transported to the fields, and used directly for field harvesting, eliminating the need for bulk transportation. They will then be transported to a storage facility and unloaded using lifting equipment, which is a fast and gentle process. If needed, the pallets can be stacked vertically to allow greater use of warehouse or shaded space until the produce is sold. Once emptied, the pallets will be reused in subsequent harvesting cycles.

To ensure effective use and maintenance of the new assets, one person will be hired, whose main responsibilities will include inventory management, cleaning, organizing, and, if necessary, repairing the box pallets.