However, poor postharvest practices are serious concerns and contribute to the poor quality perception and high postharvest losses of domestically produced tomato (Genova et al., 2006).
Postharvest losses also contribute to the country’s high dependence on vegetable imports estimated at about 70% on average; in tourist areas, as much as 90% are sourced from neighboring Vietnam and Thailand due to supply reliability of quality produce (Acedo et al., 2010).