Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the determinants of postharvest losses in tomato production in the Offinso North district of Ghana. A standardized structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 farmers who were selected through a combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques. We used descriptive statistics to summarize the characteristics of the respondents. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the determinants of postharvest losses in tomatoes. A typical tomato farmer in the district was found to be a male of 44 years, married, with a household size of five and had attained basic level of education. On average, farmers cultivated tomatoes on a farm size of about 5 acres and had about 20 years of farming experience. The study showed that farmers obtained 1,159.21 kg of tomatoes in the major season and 962.78 kg in the minor season on an acre of land, out of which 40 and 14% were lost, respectively. From the perspective of the farmers, the primary sources of losses were rot and bruises caused by poor handling, diseases and pest attack. From the regression analysis, gender of the farmer, household size, farm size, days of storage, membership of Farmer Based Organization (FBO) and type of tomato variety cultivated were found to significantly influence the level of postharvest losses incurred. Female gender, farm size and days of storage were found to be positively associated with losses in tomato production. However, household size, membership of FBO and cultivation of improved varieties were found to reduce postharvest losses, ceteris paribus. Lack of storage facilities, high cost of production and limited access to credit were found to be the critical constraints faced by tomato farmers. The study recommended the formation and joining of FBOs, periodic training and education of farmers on the cultivation of improved varieties of tomatoes as well as training on proper handling of tomato fruits to reduce postharvest losses. Key words: Tomato, postharvest losses, regression analysis, Ghana.
Highlights
Tomato is an important cash crop in the forest, transitional and savannah zones of Ghana (Norman, 1992)
The study has shown that postharvest losses are very significant in tomato production in the Offinso North district
Farm size and number of days the produce is stored before sale were found to be associated with higher levels of postharvest losses in tomato production
Summary
Tomato is an important cash crop in the forest, transitional and savannah zones of Ghana (Norman, 1992). Vegetables like tomato are usually harvested when they are fresh and high in moisture and are distinguished from field crops, which are harvested at the mature stage for grains, pulses, oil seeds or fibre. This high moisture content of such vegetables makes their handling, transportation and marketing a special problem in the tropics (Sablani et al, 2006). Many postharvest losses are direct result of factors such as high field temperatures on crops before harvesting, pests and diseases attack, among others
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