Evaluation of Postharvest Losses of Banana Growers in North East India: An Ordered Probit Analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to examine postharvest losses encountered by banana cultivators in the northeastern Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya across three discrete temporal phases: prior to the onset of COVID-19, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the aftermath of COVID-19. A total of 100 households, distributed among the selected villages with 10 households per village, were chosen through a random selection process. Furthermore, the current study evaluates the impact of diverse socio-economic variables on these losses through the application of an ordered probit model. The findings of the study suggested that, during both pre- and post-COVID 19 periods, the postharvest losses of banana farmer ranges between 1 to 32%, whereas, it was between 34 to 70% during COVID 19 period. Moreover, the study argued that the postharvest losses of banana farmers were influenced by the locational indicator, education, farming experience, land pattern as well as some other production and cost related factors of farmers. Despite this, the factors that influenced postharvest losses exhibited a significant change in direction across the various time periods. The study suggests that in less developed regions such as North East India, decreasing postharvest losses could play a vital role in alleviating poverty and fostering rural advancement by creating more opportunities for agribusiness livelihoods.