Post-harvest loss in watermelon and tomatoes in northern Ghana: a case of seasonal glut or market system failure?
It’s yet again that time of the year in the Upper West Region of Ghana especially within the Wa Municipality where there is a lot of tomatoes in the market. Many farmers are harvesting the product and there appear to be a glut. A few weeks ago, this was the case of watermelon. There was a glut of it in the market in places like Paala in the Wa West and other watermelon production centres. Though attempts have been made to explain the situation as being occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has not been different in pre -Covid-19 era. Hence, as usual the glut comes with the challenges of post-harvest loss (PHL) of tomatoes and watermelon and consequently losses in incomes of farmers. Situation of PHL in Watermelon and Tomatoes Post-harvest loss is one of the major challenges in the agriculture value chain. It is generally defined as all the quantitative and qualitative losses that are incurred along the commodity value chain after harvest until the produce reaches th...