The demand and standard in the food industry is high. I have read an article in the past that only beautiful looking produce entered the supermarket. Meanwhile produce that may have a deformation or a scar on its skin would not pass the check and not enter the supermarket. These “ugly” produce would then be deemed unsellable. However, there are still volunteers who would rescue these ugly produce and repurpose them to people that may need the food.

I have not found a case like that in Indonesia, but it does not mean it is impossible to have such a case. One of the things I found on the field, is the reality that all produce may not be harvested by the farmers. Farmers may in fact choose for their produce to rot on the tree and at the field. This happens due to the loss farmers may actually suffer from harvesting the agriculture products. The produce at that time may have a low selling price that does not equal the initial money invested in planting the produce. That being said, the produce sold in the market would then not matter and would not give the farmers revenue. Furthermore, the losses can be accumulated when the farmer wants to harvest the produce. They would have to hire people to pick the commodity off the plant, then they would have to pay for its transportation. That is why often than not these produce are left to rot by the farmers. This is something that is happening within a society that still has its population suffering from hunger.

It is actually hard to find a solution for this problem. Not to mention that agricultural products passes through a lot of hands before reaching the consumers, such as from the farmers, then at the stores, before finally being purchased by the customers. In Indonesia, there is a middleman that would transport these produce from the village into the city, where the price of the produce would then be hitched up. One of the solution the Government has implemented, is to open several farmer markets in which farmers are able to directly sell their produce to the consumers without the middleman. This is a good solution, as farmers would then receive the full price off their produce compared to how much they would initially receive by using the middleman.