S23 - Session P8 - Postharvest strategies used by small holder farmers in minimizing banana losses in Central Africa

Authors: Emmanuel Odiaka *, Kelvin Nkwain

The study analyzed postharvest strategies used by farmers in minimizing losses of banana in Central Africa. Data collected from 384 banana farmers randomly selected from Boyo Division of Cameroon using a structured questionnaire, FGD and KII showed that of the five banana varieties cultivated, "Gros Michel" and "Achu" had the highest postharvest losses. An estimated 89,272 banana suckers planted yielded 61,055 bunches (915.8 tons) of which 21,107 bunches (318.4 tons) were sold, 16,751 (251.1 tons) consumed by farmers' households and 23,197 (346.1 tons) bunches lost at post-harvest stages in 2019/2020 farming season. Main causes of post-harvest losses of banana were socio-political crisis (91%), and poor harvesting practices and equipment (51%) which resulted in food insufficiency and reduced income. The pandemics and communal crisis were out of the control of farmers as they were unpredictable and political. The significant value of the t-statistics for the strategies used to reduce banana post-harvest losses at the transportation and sale stages were 0.033 and 0.006 which were less than the critical value of 0.05 indicating the effectiveness of the strategies. It is therefore, recommended that banana farmers be properly trained in the use of strategies at the transportation and sales stages for minimizing losses.