Abstract
The study examines magnetite of post-harvest losses in selected food crops in Niger State, Nigeria, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling techniques were employed to select 150 respondents on which primary data were elicited with the aid of a structured questionnaire with interview schedule using kobo tool box. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics (such as mean, frequency distribution count and percentages). The study revealed that threshing is an important stage in the post-harvest process, and the high percentages of perceived losses 90.6% for maize, 83.1% for cowpea, and 83.8% for groundnut. Drying stage is another crucial stage in the post-harvest process, with perceived losses reported at 82.5% for maize, 78.1% for cowpea, and 77.5% for groundnut indicated its significant effects on overall yield. Also, improper storage is an important cause of post-harvest losses, as indicated by 80.0% of maize farmers, 62.5% of cowpea farmers, and 48.8% of groundnut farmers. In addition, groundnut suffered the highest losses during threshing, with an average loss of 9.34 kg, while maize experienced the least loss at 7.8 kg. This trend is consistent across the other stages; winnowing, drying and transportation where groundnut consistently recorded higher losses compared to cowpea and maize. The study recommended that farmers should adopt improved post-harvest handling techniques and invest in better storage facilities to reduce losses.
Keywords
References
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Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Agricultural Engineering (Other) |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Submission Date | January 2, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | October 31, 2025 |
| Publication Date | December 31, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 9 Issue: 2 |