Effect of farmer’s handling practices on postharvest losses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) at farm gate in Dolakha, 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