The banana postharvest value chain analysis in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the value chain (VC). Design/methodology/approach – The study evaluated the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the VC. Findings – Total postharvest losses for 2011-2012 were estimated to be 24-27 per cent of total production with a minimum economic loss of USD69,983/annum/firm, and a total loss of more than USD500,000/annum between the VCs analysed. The bulk of the losses occurred at farm level during handling and transportation. The major factors contributing to banana postharvest losses were: unreliable transport, poor communication and coordination between producers and processors; lack of or inefficient temperature management and poor sanitation. Practical implications – The study identified production capacity, quality and branding as opportunities and challenges in the banana industry. Currently, there is a 40 per cent unmet local demand for bananas and hence there are no exports. If modern banana handling systems are employed and more research and development is carried out along the VC, postharvest losses can be reduced significantly, resulting in increased income and potential expansion of the industry. Originality/value – This is the first known attempt to analyse the banana VC in southern Africa and quantify postharvest losses.

Agriculture supply chain risks and COVID-19: mitigation strategies and implications for the practitioners

“…ASCs comprise of stakeholders such as food procurement, processing, and manufacturing organisations, distribution and commercial organisations, agents, food-service firms and hotels and restaurants, and grocers, and retail organisations (Sgarbossa and Russo 2017). Different studies have utilised the term ASC according to the study context, such as food supply chain (Zirham and Palomba 2016), agriculture value chain (Brewin 2016), post-harvest supply chain (Mvumi, Matsikira, and Mutambara 2016), fruit supply chain (Glowacz and Rees 2016), agri-business supply chain (Bhagat and Dhar 2011), perishable produce supply chain (Yared, Kitaw, and Gatew 2014), fresh produce supply chain (Glowacz and Rees 2016) and horticulture supply chain (Mahajan et al 2014). The ASC comprises of three main aspects viz.…”

Measurement and evaluation of the effect of vibration on fruits in transit—Review

“…Vibration and shock transmitted from the truck bed cause adverse damage to fruits, 14 and prolonged exposure to harmful vibration may increase the susceptibility of fruit damage. 10,21 As summarized in Table 1, the impact of transit vibration has been evaluated for a range of fruits. However, many different experimental designs with different variable settings were used to evaluate the effects of vibration on fruits, making a comparison and understanding of some of the results challenging.…”

“…Vibration and shock transmitted from the truck bed cause adverse damage to fruits, and prolonged exposure to harmful vibration may increase the susceptibility of fruit damage . As summarized in Table , the impact of transit vibration has been evaluated for a range of fruits.…”

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