Determinants of Post Harvest Losses of Maize in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine some of the factors that were responsible for post harvest losses of maize in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. Data for the study were collected with the aid of a well structured questionnaire from a sample of one hundred (100) respondents which was drawn from five (5) purposively selected villages in the study area. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentage and regression analysis. The findings revealed that 69% of the maize farmers were male while 76% of them were married. The results further showed that 85% of the farmers were literate, 69% of them acquired their farmlands from communal sources and by inheritance. Also, 75% of the farmers obtained maize seeds from either the ADP or their cooperative societies. The results of the study indicated that 51% of the farmers in the study area had access to and obtained extension messages from extension agents. The major problems faced by the farmers in the study area were inadequate finance, insect pest attack, high cost of transportation and price instability, among others. The results of the regression analysis showed that gender, source of information and type of storage facilities were some of the determinants of postharvest losses in the study area. Efforts to reduce postharvest losses in maize should therefore be directed at providing appropriate information on postharvest handling of maize and to facilitate access to appropriate storage facilities for maize.