Abstract:
Many studies have revealed that losses of sweet potatoes occur due to mechanical injury, high
moisture content of the roots, attack by rodents, physiological spoilage and weevil. This study
was conducted to assess the causes and extent of post-harvest losses of white-coloured sweet
potato roots during storage in Gairo district and Morogoro municipality in Morogoro region,
Tanzania. The assessment was conducted in eight (8) wards of the two areas by using a
questionnaire to capture data on bio-data of farmers’ and traders’, awareness of white-coloured
sweet potato root losses and storage practices. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical
Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25. According to the findings, the most major cause
of post-harvest losses was rodent attack, which was reported by 26.53% and 25% of farmers and
traders in Gairo and Morogoro municipalities, respectively, and the extent of white-coloured
sweet potato root losses observed was 18.36% of farmers and traders in Gairo and 79% of
farmers and traders in Morogoro municipality have reported to suffer from moderate post-harvest
losses. The study results indicate that there is a need to improve post-harvest loss awareness
among white-colored sweet potato farmers and traders in order to reduce loss and thus begin
producing profitably. Controlling rodents, avoiding injury, building a proper storage facility and
inspecting the stores on a regular basis are the most important aspects to consider when
preventing losses. |
