Jacky Foo, USP-Samoa wrote:
>Jacky Foo, USP-Samoa asked:
>>does high losses of produce also reflect on a surplus of food
>>or is it purely a matter of the efficiency of management and transportation

Manfred Fehr [mailto:fehrsilva@mailcity.com] responded:
>I have some trouble in understanding your question. ........
>....(cut)....I do not
>see how any such trader would intentionally throw away produce after
>having bought it. This practice would cut directly into his or her profits.

Jacky Foo, USP-Samoa wrote:
>In the transportation of food, the speed and care given may sometimes be
>given to the value of the food. Often if we have an expensive produce where
>the price of an item is high, special attention is given. Low price produce
>dont usually get the same attention. In the same way I feel that when food is
>in surplus (i.e. lower priced as usual), negligence cause higher losses.
>
>Thus the question could be re-worded in a different way:
>Q: Did you find higher losses (percentage) for a specific produce at the peak
>of its production season ?
>at the growing (farm), marketing and consumption stages.

O.K. Jacky, I understood your question now.
Unfortunately, we do not have this information. Extensive year-round data
collection would be necessary to obtain it, which at present is beyond our
possibilities.

Cheers,
Manfred