Assessment of Post-Harvest Needs of Small and Medium Scale Gari Processors in Rivers State

Abstract

Feeding over 7 million Rivers State dwellers requires a radical transformation in postharvest management of agricultural products. Garri, which is a product from cassava is one of the processed food widely consume in the state. However, primitive methods which result to a reasonable loss of the product are widely used in Rivers State. Therefore, in order to minimize or eliminate these losses within the system, the study was conducted to assess the needs of small and medium scale garri processors in Rivers State, Nigeria. Purposive and snow-ball sampling procedures were used to select 120 small and medium scale garri processors in the study area. A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents and analysed using both frequencies, percentages, mean and PPMC statistical tools. The result revealed that r - distribution which represents the Pearson correlation coefficient significant level of the variables is statistically significant at 1% (0.01) between time constraint and perception of garri processors that, improved garri processing equipment is better than primitive tools with r = 0.258**most of the respondents (Above 90%) confirmed that all the listed improved garri processing and storage equipment are highly needed in the study area. The local tools used in the study area for gari processing includes knives (100%) stick presser (81.7%) and Aluminium frying pan (88.3%). All (100%) of the respondents showed favourable attitude towards the needs for improved processing equipment. The constraints to garri processors include lack of fund, health challenges, and lack of improved garri processing equipment, time consumption, small processing capacity and spoilage of cassava with each mean above grand mean (2.6). Therefore, improved post-harvest equipment are highly needed for processing garri in the study area to improve production efficiency and high-income generation for the processors. Government intervention is needed to erect mini garri processing centre in each community.