Postharvest practices and perception of losses among tomato retailers at five marketing centres in Accra

Abstract

One hundred small-scale tomato retailers at five marketing centres in Accra were interviewed between the months of January-March and May-October in 1991 and repeated in 1997, on what they perceive as problems with the handling and storage of fresh tomato. Their perceptions were compared with an analysis of the percentage of non-marketable tomato from these markets. The analyses were based on the physical defects on tomato bought at two-week intervals over a period of six months from the same retailers at each marketing centre, during the time of the survey. Retailers' perceptions on sorting, cleaning, poor packaging, lack of storage facilities for tomato correlated well with the physical defects results of physiological and mechanical losses. Most retailers did not appreciate that unsanitary environment decreases the keeping qualities of the vegetable. The degree of use of post-harvest practices was found to be market-dependent. Though 95% of respondents wanted improved facilities at the marketing centres for keeping tomato, analysis of the relationship between their net profit/losses and the amount they would have to spend on such improvements revealed that there would be problems if the retailers are to pay for the cost of such interventions