kodom Defence 2[1]

1. DEPARTMENT OF AGRIBUSINESS/AGRICULTURERESEARCH PROPOSAL PRESENTATION ON ASSESSMENT OF MANGO POSTHARVEST LOSSES ALONG THE VALUE CHAIN IN THE NKORANZA NORTH DISTRICT BY KUDOM EMMANUEL PROJECT SUPERVISOR ERIC TAKYI ATAKORA

2. Background Information • Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is one of the choicest fruits in the world (Joshi and Roy, 1999) and regarded as ‘King of Fruits’ with a global production of 40 million tons at an average productivity of approximately 8 tons per ha from 5.4 million hectares (Mahajan et al, 2021; FAOSTAT, 2021) • In Ghana, a greater part of the country has two harvest seasons with high quality mangoes which makes it suitable for fair-trade and organic niche markets (Togbor et al, 2021; Zakari, 2012; Abu et al, 2011)

3. Background Information • As a result, mango is fast becoming one of the most important horticultura l crops for export (like Cocoa) and for the domestic markets in Ghana(Okorley et al, 2012; Torgbor et al, 2021) • However, compared to other producers such as India, Brazil and Mexico, mango productivity in Ghana remains very low for several reasons including lack of research to determine optimal nutrient and pest management, low technology adoption and poor post-harvest handling practices (Torgbor et al, 2021 Akotsen-Mensah et al, 2017; Boateng 2016)

4. Background Information • Though the post-harvest loss situation affects all crops (due to infrastructural deficit), food losses along the marketing channels of perishables commodities including mango are most common and severe such that losses of between 30% and 80% among perishable fruits are possible in the sub-region (Obayelu, 2014). • Despite the importance of mango in the country studies on postharvest losses is very low

5. Problem Statement • Ghana produces a little over 26,000 t of mango every year under approximately 15,000 acres ( FAOSTAT, 2021) • Bono East region is one of the three leading regions in mango production in the country. One of the district which noted for the production of mango is Nkoranza North • Postharvest loss is one of the major problems along the mango value chain in Ghana as well as in the Nkoranza North District (FAOSTAT, 2021 ; IFPRI, 2018). Most of the fruit go waste during production, harvest, handling and ripening

6. Problem Statement • The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and the African Union Agenda 2063 are both committed to halving the postharvest losses from the current levels by the years 2030 and 2023, respectively (FAO, 2019) • Reducing post-harvest loss without any cost of production by intervening on its determinants will increase production and food security (Banjaw, 2017; Bart et al., 2021; Benyam et al., 2018).

7. Problem Statement • Since postharvest loss reduction throughout commodity value chains is an important pathway for food and nutrition security (Mengistie et al., 2021), research on post-harvest loss and associated factors along the value chains is a pertinent issue to operationalize postharvest loss mitigation strategies and reduce the product waste by maintaining the quality of the product (Ahmad et al., 2020; FAO, 2019; Muluken et al., 2019).

8. Problem Statement • Thus the above gap makes the following questions relevant • What are the socio economic characteristics of mango farmers and markerters in Nkoranza North • What percentage of mangoes produced in the area is lost at each stage of the value chain? • What are the major causes of post-harvest losses being experienced in the area?

9. Objectives • The general objective of the study is to assess the extent postharvest losses in the Nkoranza north district • The specific objectives are • Describe the socioeconomic characteristics factors of mango farmers and marketers in the study area • Estimate the losses at each stage along the postharvest chain • Identify the causes of post harvest losses in the area • Recommend measures that can be taken to reduce postharvest loss in the study area

10. Methodology 1. Study Area • The study will be conducted in Nkoranza North District. In the Bono East region • Three (3) communities: Kranka, Baafi and Bono-Manso

11. Methodology 1. Data Collection • Sampling method : Purposive sampling • Data collection instrument: Questionnaires and interviews • Sample population: 100 • 80 mango farmers, • 15 market women • 5 consumers

12. Data Collection

13. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

15. REASONS FOR POSTHARVEST LOSSES OF MANGO ; Farmers view Unfavorable weather = 9.3% Diseases and pests= 23.3% Lack of processing facilities= 23.8% Delay of harvesting= 7.6% Damage during transport=17.8% Lack of available market= 13.2% Damage during packing= 4.8%

16. Causes of loss; traders view

18. Condition for harvesting Mango fruits Mature green = 4% Partially ripened=8% Fully ripened=88%

19. Harvesting of Mango

20. Time of harvesting Mngoes

21. CONCLUSION • There are significant losses after harvest along the mango value chain, with adverse effects on the income of small farmers and traders. About a quarter of the tomato produced is damaged and out of normal use • The types of damage include physical or mechanical damage, disease and/or insect control infection, and/or bad shape, color and size of the product, or combinations of these factors • At the farmer's level, loss after harvest is continuity of disease and plaque attack, lack of access to appropriate tools and harvesting skills, poor post harvest management and lack of the market to immediately sell the product the harvest.

22. CONCLUSION • After harvest loss occurring in a value chain node stretches to other chain actors and aggravates along the value chain due to poor handling, transportation, storage and ambient temperature, the quality of the product deteriorates. Handling of fresh products and marketing facilities is poor. In order to reduce the loss of mangoes after harvest, serious interventions are required, including skills development to improve harvest management practices, post-harvest technology innovations such as solar dryer improved market information, facilities, and services

23. RECOMMENDATION • The results of the study showed that the mango industry in the Nkoranza North is constrained by a combination of factors that are social, economic, technological in nature • There is the need for further research work to be conducted in the following areas to ensure effective and sustainable mango production industry as a way of developing the rural economy of the study area and other communities with similar socio-economic backgrounds

24. References • FAOSTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), FAO Statistic Database; FAOSTAT: Rome, Italy, 2021. • Mahajan, G.R.; Das, B.; Murgaokar, D.; Herrmann, I.; Berger, K.; Sahoo, R.; Patel, K.; Desai, A.; Morajkar, S.; Kulkarni, R.M.Monitoring the Foliar Nutrients Status of Mango Using Spectroscopy-Based Spectral Indices and PLSR-Combined MachineLearning Models. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 641 • Okorley, E.L.; Acheampong, L.; Abenor, M.T. The current status of mango farming business in Ghana: A case study of mango farming in the DangmeWest District. Ghana J. Agric. Sci. 2014, 47, 73–80. • Torgbor, B.A.; Rahman, M.M.; Robson, A.;Brinkhoff, J.; Khan, A. Assessing the Potential of Sentinel-2 Derived Vegetation Indices to Retrieve Phenological Stages of Mango in Ghana. Horticulturae2022, 8, 11.