FARMERS POSTHARVEST HANDLING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN GANYE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Ganye Local Government Area (LGA) in Adamawa State, Nigeria, is an important agricultural zone with substantial production of fruits and vegetables. Despite this potential, postharvest losses remain a significant barrier to food security and economic growth. Postharvest handling is carried out only after the harvest of fruits and vegetables. Proper handling practices like cleaning, sorting and grading, packaging, storage, and transportation leads to minimization of loss. Also, various techniques like the application of modified atmosphere packaging help in reducing the activity of microorganisms and increasing shelf life. The data for the study was collected from different relevant sources. Losses in fruits and vegetables mainly occur due to direct packaging without removal of field heat, harvesting at an improper stage of maturity, etc. while losses in fruits and vegetables mainly occur due to improper methods of harvest, packaging, etc. Post-harvest practices and losses of fruits and vegetables are considered to be a major problem in the surveyed area. Agricultural extension agents should organize training on post-harvest practices and loss in order to increase their perception towards post harvest loss and to minimize fruits wastages in the study area. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as using Statistical Analysis for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26. The study revealed that the majority of respondents 91(68.9%) are male, 123(93.1%) are between the age range of 31-60 years, 82(62.1%) are married, 79(59.8%) store mango for the short period of time to resale to business men and women while 27(20.4%) store tomatoes and pepper to sell during the dry and rainy seasons. The study also revealed that 86(65.1%) of the respondents adopted pot in pot, air drying method of preservation, 46(34.9%) use refrigerator and cold room method of preservation, 116(90.8%) of the respondents store processed products because of the little knowledge of fruits and vegetables preservation method, 16(12.1%) of the respondent’s sale their products direct to wholesaler without storage, 31(23.5%) of the respondents prefer to cultivate fruits and vegetables and sell them off during harvesting. The study concludes that mitigating postharvest losses in Ganye requires coordinated interventions by government agencies, private sector actors, and local communities. Enhancing postharvest practices holds the key to reducing waste, improving livelihoods, and unlocking the full agricultural potential of the region.