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Thematic measures for reducing post-harvest losses of vegetable crops among farmers in Benue State, Nigeria

Mbah E N, Amah N E and Yanjoh E T

The survey was carried out to ascertain thematic measures for reducing post-harvest losses of vegetable crops among farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. Questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 96 respondents used for the study. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean score and standard deviation. Results show effects of post-harvest losses to include reduction in income generation ( =3.80), decrease in quality of produce ( =3.66), unstable supply of produce ( = 3.39), high cost of vegetable ( =3.30), decrease in nutritional content of the produce ( =3.26), loss of investment made by the farmer ( =3.25) and reduction on availability of vegetables for household consumption ( =3.24). Adequate provision of storage facilities ( =3.85), proper cleaning of produce ( =3.65), proper packaging of produce ( =3.60), adequate transportation facilities ( =3.56), sale of produce immediately after harvest ( =3.45) and harvesting at the right time ( =3.45) were measures indicated by the respondents for reducing post-harvest losses of vegetable crops. The study therefore recommends that there is a need for provision of adequate storage facilities in order to prevent losses of vegetable crops after harvesting. It also highlights that effective traditional methods for preventing and reducing post-harvest losses need to be identified and exploited since modern methods are not utilized fully in order to reduce losses and maximize profit.