COSTING POSTHARVEST LOSSES IN SELECTED LEAFY VEGETABLE MARKETING IN LAGELU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA.

Global efforts at improving food and nutrition security should tackle the menace of crop losses. This study assessed postharvest losses in selected leafy vegetables marketing in Lagelu Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was utilized to select one hundred and ten (110) leafy vegetable marketers as study sample while structured interview schedule was used to gather relevant data on marketing costs and returns, cost of post-harvest losses to marketing as well as constraints to vegetable marketing in the study area. Data collected were analyzed with appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Results show that the sampled leafy vegetable marketers were female (100.0%) and married (80.9%) having average household size of 7±1.60 members. Age, years of formal education and marketing experience averaged 44.6±10.23, 3.35±1.52 and 14±3.2years, respectively. The average amount invested in leafy vegetable marketing per month was ₦52,932.73±16,698.78 while the average monthly income from leafy vegetable marketing was ₦72,354.91±25,599.35 leaving a marketing margin of ₦19,422.18. The monetary values for the monthly estimated postharvest losses incurred on marketing of Corchorus olitorus, Celosia argentea, Telfeira occidentalis, Solanum macrocarpon and Amaranthus spinosus were ₦898.19±206.14, ₦685.45±157.25, ₦810.90±186.03, ₦674.18±154.67 and ₦567.27±130.14, respectively. Perishable nature of vegetables (1.53) and inadequate storage and processing facilities (1.44) were reported as the most severe constraints to leafy vegetable marketing in the study area. Age (t=3.785), years of formal education (t=-2.072), marketing experience (t=-5.226), amount invested in vegetable marketing (t=-22.637) and monthly income (t=21.36) all at p≤0.05, significantly determined postharvest losses in leafy vegetable marketing in the study area. In conclusion, the study established an appreciable level of postharvest losses to leafy vegetables marketing and recommended that marketers should be adequately trained in the areas of postharvest handling, processing and storage of leafy vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]