ISHS Acta Horticulturae 218: XII African Symposium on Horticultural Crops
POST-HARVEST, HANDLING, TRANSPORTING AND LOSSES DURING THE MARKETING OF SWEET POTATOES |
| Author: | J.B. George |
| Abstract:
A survey was conducted in Bo, the Provincial Headquarters of Southern Province, Sierra Leone, to determine post-harvest handling, transporting and losses during the marketing of sweet potatoes. The survey lasted for six weeks and, it involved the interviewing of a total of 30 potato sellers and/or farmers. About 90 percent of the potatoes sold were harvested with hand hoes and harvesting was mostly done by farmers. Harvested tubers were packed into ute bags and later transported to Bo market in public lorries. In the market the tubers were sold by heaps and about 90 percent of the sales were retail. In general, the period from harvesting to sale was from one to three days. Out of a total of 22 000 tubers sampled, 6.4 percent were unsold, which was considered as a loss. The causes of the loss were largely due to the immaturity of the tubers, dehydration, physical damage and/or disease and pest infestation. | |
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