POSTHARVEST RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE PHILIPPINES: THE ROLE OF THE POSTHARVEST HORTICULTURE TRAINING AND RESEARCH CENTER FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE

The Postharvest Horticulture Training and Research Center (PHTRC) of The Philippines was established in 1977 amidst global concerns on huge losses of perishable crops and lack of government attention to it. After successfully training a core of researchers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on postharvest handling of perishable crops, the PHTRC became the center for research and training on postharvest in The Philippines. Since then, it has done most of the basic research on fruits, vegetables and cut flowers in the fields of postharvest physiology, biochemistry, morpho-anatomy, engineering, entomology and pathology. It has spearheaded the development of technologies to reduce handling losses and establish quality assurance systems for intact produce and fresh cuts. In education, its primary role is in the development of instructional materials. Its extensive library collection on postharvest is also a great help to teachers, students and researchers. It has trained staff from 22 countries on postharvest handling of fresh produce, aside from establishing a nucleus of researchers in ASEAN. It is envisioned that PHTRC will expand its lead role within The Philippines and establish more linkages with other postharvest institutions doing work on tropical fresh produce. Research and extension programs on horticultural produce chain management will focus on research on demand along with quality assurance systems.