China is a large agricultural country. The main cereal crops cultivated in China include paddy rice, wheat, maize, millet, sorghum. The output of both paddy rice and wheat ranks first in the world. China also is one of the centers of fruit origin and more than 30 species of fruits are produced for economic purpose such as apple, citrus, pear, grape, peach, pineapple, litchi, longan, mango, banana, etc. At the present level of fruit production, China has become the second largest country in the world, and the production of both apple and pear ranks first and of citrus third in the world. However, the development of agriculture still faces great challenges such as the growing population, the continuous increase in the consumption level, the increasing demand for agricultural produce, the continuous decrease of farmland, the decrease of agricultural resources, the reduction of severe postharvest loss and improvement of postharvest technology.
The paper will deal with the postharvest problems encountered in agricultural products, especially cereals, fruits and vegetables such as postharvest handling, storage methods, postharvest loss, packaging, food distribution, shelf-life extension and some socio-customary problems. It will introduce various aspects relating to the background, present situation, countermeasures, development, future targets and international cooperation.