An Investigation on Post-harvest Losses of Lemon Farmers in Moulvibazar District, Bangladesh: Aspects of Practices, Determinants, and Problems

Abstract

Aims: Lemon is a popular citrus fruit in Bangladesh. Post-harvest management is very important to make lemon production profitable. The current study was carried out to measure the post-harvest practices of lemon farmers, to identify the determinants or factors influencing post-harvest losses of lemon at farm levels, and the associated problems of lemon farmers. Study Design: This article is about investigating the determinants or factors influencing post-harvest losses of lemon farmers and is placed on empirical analysis. It was also conducted to determine the practices and problems regarding post-harvest of lemon at the farm levels. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in purposively selected five intensivelemon growing villages of Sreemangal Upazila in the Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh purposively selected as they signify the top lemon (e.g. local, bilati, and china varieties) producing areas of Moulvibazar district. The study period was the harvesting season of lemons from April to May 2019. Methodology: The relevant data were collected using structured questionnaires via face-to-face interviews with 160 lemon farmers that were selected using simple random sampling. The post-harvest practices of lemon farmers were measured by using descriptive statistics. The farm-level determinants of post-harvest losses of lemon in the survey areas were identified using a multiple linear regression model, and the Problem Faced Index (PFI) was generated to assess the severity of the particular problem of lemon farmers in the study areas. Results: From descriptive statistics results, it is found that farmers in the study area harvested their lemons under mature green conditions (67.6 percent) to reap the benefits of a longer life span, and 59.5 percent of them use the bamboo basket for packaging and transportation purposes. Lemon farmers were using manual vans (48.7 percent) and motor driving rickshaws (25.3 percent) to carry their products in the market. From the multiple linear regression model, it is shown that the key determinants of post-harvest losses in the study area were total production, labor, transportation, storage, distance, market place, and lemon farmers’ farming experience. Lack of storage facilities was the greatest severe problem for lemon farmers, after overproduction and supply of lemon in the peak season, lack of quality seed, high input prices, disease infection, insect infestation, and so on. Conclusion: Therefore, this study highlights developing suitable storage facilities, convenient transportation, scientific harvesting methods, and a fair price policy to reduce lemon post-harvest losses at the farm levels.