Quantitative and qualitative post-harvest loss of emmer wheat in selected value chain in Bale zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

AbstractAn assessment of post-harvest losses and handling practices of emmer wheat was carried out in 2019 Bale zone, southeastern Ethiopia. A semi-structured survey questionnaire was used to collect primary data from farmers, and traders, whereas FAO’s 4s (screening of relevant data, surveying, sampling, and synthesis) method was used to determine losses in selected value chain of emmer wheat at farmers’ level. The assessment study was conducted in three purposively selected districts and three kebele’s from each district. In this study total of 370 emmer wheat producing farmers were interviewed. Laboratory analysis was carried out to determine the proximate composition losses during storage. A multiple regression analysis was used for post-harvest loss determinants analysis whereas one-way ANOVA for quality loss analysis. The results from the load tracking indicated that harvesting (3.75%), transportation to threshing field (0.17%), and threshing (2.96 %) were identified as the major loss points. Around 58.6% of the respondents mentioned that shattering as the major cause for losses during harvesting. In addition, during threshing, incomplete threshing, seeds eaten by oxen and cleaning (separation of seeds from the straw) are mentioned as the major factors for losses. In the result of this survey study, about 71.10% of farmers have mentioned that the most important causes of the post-harvest losses in storage were occurred due to rodents. The area coverage, yield per hectare, method of harvesting, and harvesting time significantly influenced emmer wheat post-harvest losses at farmers’ level. Hence, it can be concluded that due to poor post-harvest handling practices a significant amount of emmer wheat qualitative and quantitative losses was occurred in supply chains.

Keywords

• emmer wheat
• post-harvest losses
• value chains and determinants