Assessment of the postharvest handling of six major vegetables in two selected Districts in Ashanti Region of Ghana
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Date
2011
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Abstract
The survey was carried out in Mampong and Kumasi districts in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess the postharvest handling (precooling, transportation, packing, storage and value additions) of cabbage, carrots, onion, tomato, garden eggs and pepper. Three categories of respondents were sampled, namely, producers of these vegetables, vegetable marketers and consumers. The producers were assessed on practices such as precooling of vegetables, means of transporting their produce to the marketing centers. Marketers were also assessed on value addition to vegetables before sales, packaging materials used and the means of storing vegetables. Consumers who were sampled from educational institutions, hotels, restaurants, chop bars and individual households were assessed on methods of storing vegetables. Ninety percent and 60% of vegetable producers in Kumasi and Mampong respectively did not precool their produce after harvest. Eighty percent of producers in Kumasi used vehicles to convey produce to the marketing centers while 74% of producers in Mampong carried their vegetables on their heads to the marketing centers. In both study areas, producers had no storage facilities. Marketers preferred the use of polythene materials for packaging to sacks, baskets, plastic and metallic containers. Fifty six percent of respondents in Kumasi and 38% in Mampong used polythene. The value addition to vegetables was mainly washing, removal of unwanted parts and sprinkling of cold water on vegetables. Diseases and pests found on vegetables were not treated by all the three categories of respondents. Consumers of vegetables in Kumasi preferred refrigeration of vegetables to drying and steaming. Fifty eight percent refrigerated their vegetables while in Mampong only 14% did refrigeration. In Mampong 58% did not have any means of storing their vegetables as compared to 8% in Kumasi.
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A Thesis Submitted to the School of Research and Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Science (Msc. Postharvest Technology) Degree