Assessment of post harvest losses of fruits at Tshakhuma fruit market in Limpopo Province, South Africa

The study on post-harvest losses of fruits was undertaken at Tshakhuma fruit market in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Fifty women hawkers were randomly selected and interviewed to obtain information on their socio-economic characteristics and post-harvest loss of fruits. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data collected. The results indicate that most of the women were in the middle age category (74%) with what can be described as basic education only. Of the five types of common fruits sold, bananas were the most prevalent followed by guavas, avocados, oranges and pawpaw. About 50% of the fruits were lost mainly due to over-ripening as a consequence of lack of proper storage facilities and appropriate technologies.