Document Type : Short Communication Article

Authors

• Rubi Kumari Sah ¹
• Bidhan Bagale ²

¹ Faculty of Agriculture, College of Natural Resource Management, Agriculture and Forestry University, Marin, Sindhuli, Nepal

² Faculty of Agriculture, Central Campus, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal

Abstract

Purpose: The main objectives of this study were to find farmers’ handling practices on postharvest losses of potatoes, to estimate the post-harvest losses from farm gate to storage level and to know how the post-harvest losses were affected by the socio-demographic factors. Research method: The study was conducted in Dolakha, Nepal with 100 respondents selected by simple random sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the primary data and MS Excel and SPSS were used for data analysis. Findings: Out of the total potatoes produced, 89.73% were utilized in various forms while the remaining 10.26% were lost due to poor post-harvest handling practices and lack of adequate cold storage facility. The farmers in the study area relied on practices, such as using spades for harvesting, week-long curing, traditional home storage, sorting and grading to remove the damaged ones, use of jute sacks, and overfilling and dragging of heavy bags. The post-harvest loss was significantly affected by age, gender, land size, and farming experience of farmers whereas the literacy level, ethnicity, and religion had no impact on it. Limitations: Transportation was a limitation because motorable roads were unavailable due to which farmers of distant areas couldn’t be included in the sampling frame. Originality/value: The study reported that only 3% of farmers had access to cold storage facilities and 10.26% of harvested potatoes were lost due to traditional post-harvest practices.

Keywords

• Farmer handling practices
• Fresh potato
• Postharvest losses

Main Subjects

• Postharvest Biology and Technology