Assessment Of Postharvest Losses Along The Fresh Tomato Value Chain In The Upper East Region Of Ghana

ABSTRACT The study assesses the postharvest losses along the fresh tomato value chain in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Simple random sampling technique was used to select three districts from the Upper East Region and a total of 80 farmers, 30 wholesalers, and 80 retailers were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to estimate outcome of losses by each actor along the tomato value chain. Kendall‟s Coefficient of Concordance was employed to rank the major constraints that each group of actors faced along the tomato value chain. The study also employed the Tobit regression model to identify the factors influencing the proportion of postharvest loss of fresh tomato. On average, the total farm size cultivated by farmers in the Upper East Region was 13 ha. The study showed that output obtained at farmer level was 4.5 Mt/ha in the major season and 6.2 Mt/ha in the minor season, out of which 10% and 13% were lost, respectively. Wholesalers and retailers recorded a postharvest loss of 26% and 20% of their total purchases of fresh tomatoes respectively. Lack of ready market was ranked first by farmers and wholesalers as their major constraint. Retailers ranked lack of storage facilities as a major constraint. The study revealed various factors that significantly influenced postharvest losses of fresh tomatoes among actors (farmers, wholesalers, retailers) along the value chain. Female actors were found to be more prone to high levels of postharvest losses than their male counterparts. Wholesalers had a significant positive effect on losses of fresh tomatoes. With respect to location, it was observed that Bolgatanga Municipal, Kassena Nankana Municipal had significant negative effect on postharvest loss. It was also observed that Postharvest management training had a significant negative effect on postharvest loss of fresh tomatoes. The study recommended that Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) through its extension staff should intensify the provision of training of farmers and traders especially females on postharvest handling and management to reduce losses. The Municipal and District Assemblies and private sector investors in the study area should improve the road infrastructure linking farms to market centres to transport losses and provide suitable storage facilities and physical market structures to traders especially in the Bolgatanga Municipal and Kassena Nankana Municipal. Also, through formation of FBO‟s and Tomato Transport Traders Associations (TTTA‟s), farmers and traders can set up processing factories to process tomatoes into other products