POST-HARVEST HANDLING PRACTICES AND LOSSES AMONG MANGO PRODUCERS IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined post-harvest handling practices and estimate proportion of post-harvest harvest losses among mango producers in Benue State, Nigeria. A random sampling technique was used to select one hundred and fifty-four producers. Data were collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. Result indicated that majority of mango producers were male (71.4%), had secondary school education (44.2%) with 11-20 years’ experience in mango farming (53.3%). The average land size cultivated by the producer was 3.5 acres with an average of 223 mango trees comprising of various varieties. Findings also revealed that 48.1% of the producers harvested their mango when half ripe and the prevalent method of harvesting was hand plucking (96.1%) while also showing that 89.6% of the harvested mango were cooled after harvesting. Majority of the producers pack their mango in baskets (94.8%) and were stored for 1-5 days before transportation to the point of destination and transportation was mostly in the evening. Majority of the producers (85.7%) experienced post-harvest losses due to pest and disease infestation (75.3%); an average of 27.5% of total harvest was lost during the peak season. Household size and years of experience in mango production significantly affect the proportion of mango losses, while inadequate capital was the most important constraints to the use of post-harvest technologies. It is suggested that mango farmers should mobilize themselves into viable cooperative so that they can gain from the use of pooled resources and finances in cooperative.