Packaging is mainly used for transporting product to market and currently is not a significant cost component for growers as they use reusable carton boxes. However, the poor quality carton boxes used by the producers frequently lose their firmness and collapse as a result of condensation when tomatoes are transported in lorry trucks without refrigeration (furthermore, condensation from refrigerated trucks would only increase this phenomenon).
Better packaging is used by distributors and exporters who carry the cost of 1MDL/kg for Styrofoam and plastic crates and 0.8 MDL/kg for wooden crates.
The following types of packaging are available and used:
Mostly used by exporters for transportation to Belarus and Russia. Weight of such boxes with the product is 10 kg (crate weight – 1.1 kg)
Used for local transportation of the product on the local market.
Weight of such boxes with the product is 22 kg (box weight - 1.5 kg)
Used for local transportation of the product by minibuses on the local markets.
Weight of such boxes with the product is 8 kg (crate box weight – 0.4 kg)
Used for packaging the product by distributors and supermarkets and is the most advanced type of packaging currently available.
http://mca.gov.md/upload/documents/0521121337609432ACED%20Tomato%20Value%20Chain%20Study.pdf
