Assessment of Tomato Post-Harvest Losses in Selected Nigerian Markets

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Key topics: autonomous driving. See the paper for implementation details and experimental results.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为端到端自动驾驶、BEV感知、3D目标检测、轨迹预测、路径规划、LiDAR感知等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Post-harvest losses (PHL) of tomatoes represent one of the most critical challenges confronting agricultural market systems in Nigeria. While substantial attention has focused on farm-level production constraints, limited empirical evidence documents where in the marketing chain losses predominantly occur and which physical and logistical determinants drive them. This study assessed the stage distribution, transport conditions, packaging practices, and seasonal patterns of post-harvest tomato losses among 297 traders across seven purposively selected markets in seven Nigerian states: Kaduna, Lagos, Enugu, Adamawa, Gombe, Kwara, and Rivers. A survey research design was employed, and primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire, supplemented by field interviews with tomato market union officials and traders. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, and mean scores with standard deviations, were used for analysis. A one-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in weekly basket losses across trader groups with different selling-frequency habits (F (4,292) = 5.090, p = 0.001). Findings revealed that transport to market (ranked 1st ) and market storage/display (ranked 2nd ) were the dominant loss stages. The late dry season/irrigation period (February-April) recorded the highest losses (63.6%). Buses were the most commonly cited transport vehicles (Ranked 1st by 106 respondents), while traditional raffia baskets dominated packaging (254 respondents). Among ten rated loss factors, vehicle spoilage/breakdown (Mean = 4.21) and weather conditions (Mean = 4.13) were ranked as the most significant contributors. The study concludes that post-harvest tomato losses in Nigerian markets are primarily driven by transport-stage deterioration and market-level storage deficits, with vehicle spoilage, weather, and poor road conditions as the dominant rated factors, and that the absence of cold-chain infrastructure and modern packaging perpetuates these losses across all markets studied. It recommends improving transport infrastructure, introducing cold-chain logistics, and adopting protective packaging can mitigate PHL.

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