MERCADO DE HORTIFRUTÍCOLAS FRESCAS NO MUNICÍPIO DE MINEIROS-GO

The complex fruit and vegetable commercialization system requires constant marketing studies for elaboration and implementation of strategies and actions to improve it. The objective of this study was to evaluate fruits and vegetables commercialization in the Mineiros municipality, Goias State, Brazil, in order to provide information for retail trade. The survey was carried out in retail trade equipments, such as supermarkets, grocery stores, and street markets, from December 2005 to January 2006, by means of questionnaire application. Among the evaluated fruits, orange reached the higher weekly commer-cialization volume (7,196 kg), followed by banana (2,812 kg), apple (2,526 kg), and pineapple (1,935 kg). For vegetables, tomato (7,854 kg), watermelon (6,600 kg), onion (4,882 kg), and potato (4,272 kg) were the most commercialized items. Supermarkets and grocery stores are responsible for most of the fruit and vegetable commercialized in the region. The local horticulture agribusiness does not supply the regional demand, the marketing for those products depending on long distance suppliers. KEY-WORDS: Vegetables; commercialization; market; fruticulture; olericulture.