Harvesting:
Flowering starts from 35-40 days after planting. Crop starts harvesting in 55-65 days after planting when pods are 2-3 inches long. Pods are tender at this stage. It should be harvested after every 2-3 days as the Okra pods grow very fast. The pods should not mature on the plant because this will hinder more pods from growing and will reduce the production of the plant. Okra should be handled carefully because the pods blemish easily.
Yield:
The yield differs from 5-7 t/ha in summer and 8-10 t/ha in the rainy season.
POST-HARVEST
Okra has short shelf life and cannot be stored for longer time. The okra fruit should be stored at 7-10°C and 90% relative humidity to increase the shelf life. For local markets the fruits are filled in jute bags, whereas for distant markets the fruits are packed in perforated paper cartons. If the temperature will be below 7 degree, it would lead to chilling injury which will lead to discoloration of surface, pitting and decay.
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