Análise do mercado de frutas no município de São Paulo das Missões - RS

Abstract

It is well known that fruits are essential in human food, as they have nutritional properties that can prevent and help fight disease. Thus, the study of the conformation of the fruit market is fundamental for the identification of the main factors that influence the functioning and quality of the sector. The general purpose of this work is to characterize the fruit trade in the city of São Paulo das Missões - RS. For the development of this research that had a qualitative approach of exploratory scope, a semi-structured questionnaire with open questions was applied in 6 establishments that sell fruits in the municipality and a door-to-door seller. The interpretation of the collected data was performed through descriptive analysis. From the data analysis it can be seen that the origin of the fruits marketed in the municipality mostly comes from outside the study region. Lack of adequate storage locations and knowledge of fruit separation in the cold chain are characteristic in 57% of the interviewed sites. The most consumed fruits are banana, apple and papaya. The main problems faced by fruit traders according to traders were market demand and seasonality of local produce. For fruit consumption according to managers, consumers value quality and price. These factors could be maximized by stimulating the formation of short production chains, but the study region has limitations, mainly edaphoclimatic conditions for local production and supply throughout the year.