The main factors involved in the commercialization of papaya in 10 supermarkets and 9 retail shops of Brasília-DF was studied in January of 1999. The data was colleted using questionnaire answered by the manager of the establishment. It was observed that the wholesalers of Federal District Wholesale Market (CEASA-DF) are the main supplier of papaya in all establishment analyzed. The fruit loss was considered very high only in the retail shops. The poor quality of fruit, the delay between purchasing and selling, precarious transport system and climatic condition were the main reasons of losses attributed by the retail shops. In the supermarkets the lack of appropriate storage, poor quality of purchased fruit, climatic conditions and manipulation by clients were considered as the main causes for the losses. The supplier delivers the papaya in wood boxes in almost all establishments. Papaya fruits for selling were displayed in racks in most of the establishments analyzed.
commercialization; papaya; supermarkets; retail shops
