Farm Post-Harvest Losses and Their Determinants Among Navel and Lemon Farmers in Kat River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Farm post-harvest losses continue to be a threat to the citrus fruit value chain. Reducing these losses is the goal for each citrus farmer. However, a lack of knowledge on the extent of farm-harvest and the associated factors remains unknown. This study, therefore, examined the extent of post-harvest losses and identifies their determinants among navel and lemon farmers in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The cross-sectional data were gathered from a sample of 81 land reform navel and lemon farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. A multiple stage sampling procedure was used in this study. On one hand, descriptive analysis was used to estimate socio-economic characteristics and percentages of post-harvest losses at the farm level. On the other hand, multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of post-harvest losses at the farm level. The descriptive results on socio-economic characteristics show that the majority of farmers were males (96.7%) and the mean average age was 57 years. Furthermore, the results showed that the losses for both fruits were due to faulty storage (2.30 kg/ha in navel and 1.60 kg/ha in lemon). The results from multiple linear regression showed that the age of respondents, level of education and total output influenced navel post-harvest losses. Also, age, the area under irrigation and storage facility determined post-harvest losses at the farm level. The study recommends the establishment of producer organizations, small cold storage in production areas and training of farmers.