Fruits and vegetables often become plentiful during harvest season, leading to a surplus that cannot be consumed or stored due to a lack of facilities. This results in significant waste, as these items are highly perishable. On the other hand, there is often a shortage of fruits and vegetables during the off-season, with high prices making them inaccessible to many people. It is necessary to establish facilities and take preventive measures to reduce waste and increase the availability of fruits and vegetables to consumers. Special care should be taken after harvesting to minimize initial losses, as these losses begin immediately after harvesting. To reduce losses and ensure a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables during the off-season, processing and preservation techniques such as drying, fermenting, canning, freezing, preserving, and juicing can be employed by small-scale handlers.

1  Introduction, 2. Present Status of Fruits and  Vegetables Production, 3. Importance of Fruits and Vegetables in Human Nutrition, 4. Post-harvest Losses and Controls in Fruits and Vegetables, 5.  Processed Products from Fruits and Vegetables: Status and Scope, 6.    Food Spoilage: Causes, Effects and Prevention,7. Principles of Processing and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables ,8. Processing and Preservation Methods of Fruits and Vegetables,9. Physical Methods of Processing and  Preservation, 10. Chemical Methods (Use of Preservatives) for Processing and Preservation,11. Preservation by Adding Sugar (Sugar Based Value Added Products), 12. Preservation with Fermentation Methods (Fermented Products), 13. Preservation with Salt, Oil, Vinegar and Chutney Pickle, 14. Preservation by Canning, 15.   Value Addition and Products Developed by Fruits and Vegetable, 16. Packaging and Packaging Materials, 17. Research Needs for Product Development of Fruits and Vegetables