What Factors Explain Postharvest Losses of Orange Fruit (Citrus sinensis) from Farm to Fork in the Tropics?

Abstract

Demand for citrus fruit has increased over the years in Nigeria. However, post-harvest loss of tropical fruits is high in developing nations owing to poor handling and storage facilities along the supply chain. The study therefore assessed levels and correlates of postharvest losses of fresh oranges along the orange supply chain. Primary data collected from marketersand producers of orange were analysed using descriptive statistics and ordered logit. Orange farming was dominated by male (68.4%) while orange marketing was dominated by females. Most of the producers (63.16%) and wholesalers (65.38%) experienced postharvest loss of 6-10%, while 46.79% of the retailers experience a postharvest loss of less than 5%. Being a male farmer that harvested oranges in the afternoon increased the likelihood of postharvest losses among the farmers while having a large household size reduced it. However, education, smallholding marketing and use of storage facilities reduced the likelihood of postharvest loss among orange marketers. Postharvest training for farmers and marketers on fruit harvesting and storage methods will help to minimise postharvest loss from producers to retailers.Dejavniki, ki pojasnjujejo izgube pridelka pomaranč (Citrus sinensis) po obiranju v tropskih območjih v verigi od proizvajalca do potrošnika. Povpraševanje po citrusih se je v Nigeriji v zadnjih letih povečevalo, vendar pa je za države v razvoju značilna precejšnja izguba tropskega sadja po obiranju zaradi slabih pogojev pri obiranju in skladiščenju sadja tekom dobavne verige. Cilj raziskave je bil oceniti stopnje in korelacije izgub svežih pomaranč po obiranju v celotni dobavni verigi. Podatki, zbrani pri proizvajalcih in prodajalcih pomaranč, so bili analizirani z uporabo deskriptivne statistike in ordinalne regresijske analize. Rezultati so pokazali, da so bili pridelovalci pomaranč v glavnem moški (68,4 %), pri trženju/prodaji pomaranč pa so prevladovale ženske. Pri večini proizvajalcev (63,2 %) in veletrgovcev (65,4 %) so izgube pridelka pomaranč po obiranju znašale 6-10 %, pri 46,8 % trgovcev na drobno pa pod 5 %. Pri proizvajalcih je bila verjetnost izgub pomaranč po obiranju večja, če so pomaranče obirali moški v popoldanskem času, medtem ko je imela velikost gospodinjstva oziroma število družinskih članov obraten učinek (zmanjšane izgube). Pri prodajalcih se je izkazalo, da izobraževanje, trženje na malih posestih in uporaba skladišč zmanjšujejo verjetnostizgub pridelka pomaranč. Usposabljanje za pridelovalce in prodajalce pomaranč o metodah obiranja in skladiščenja sadja bo v prihodnje pripomoglo k zmanjšanju izgub po spravilu v celotni verigi proizvajalcev in trgovcev na drobno.