Assessment of Post-harvest Losses of Ware Potatoes ( Solanum Tuberosum L.) in Chelia and Jeldu Districts of West Shewa, Ethiopia

Potato is one of the most important food and cash crops in Ethiopia, mostly grown in the Central, Southern and North- Western and Eastern highlands of Ethiopia that accounts for about 83% of the potato production in the country. In Ethiopia, post-harvest losses of horticultural crops may be estimated for about 15 to 70% at various stages. Potato is a semi-perishable commodity and storage of both seed and ware potatoes, which is problematic for most farmers, as storage losses can reach 50% and sometimes higher. These losses are also occurred during harvesting, sorting and cleaning, handling and packing, transportation, storage, distribution or marketing and processing in Ethiopia. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to identify the factors responsible and potential losses occurred in the supply and marketing chain of ware potatoes production in Chelia and Jeldu districts of West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. As the survey results indicates that the post-harvest losses of potato at household (2.5% and 3.79%), transportation (3.83% and 3.98%), sorting loss (5.31% and 4.92%), storage loss (6.07% and 10.08%), restaurant loss (6.88% and 7.14%), retailer loss (8.02% and 7.16%), harvesting loss (13.81% and 10.77%), wholesaler loss (18.65% and 14.78%), and marketing loss (19.41% and 22.21%) in Chelia and Jeldu districts, respectively. Those post-harvest losses of ware potatoes occurred due to infectious diseases and insect pests which mainly initiated due to improper harvesting and handling of potatoes. The collected samples from both districts, the fungal and bacterial pathogens were isolated and identified from infected potato tubers. The fungal and bacterial pathogens were identified into Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, Penicillium notatum, P. digitatum, Aspergillus flavus, Alternaria solani, Bacillus pumilus, Ralstonia solanacearum, Erwinia caratovora, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptomyces scabies. The insect pests associated with potato tubers were also identified into cut worms and red ants. In order to reduce this all above losses, mechanical harvester should be introduced for proper harvesting of potatoes, so this technology, the harvester should be afforded for the producers by Government within their financial capacity and reduce the harvesting loss. The awareness of the farmers should be also increased, by providing adequate training, so they can produce proper operation during harvesting, transportation, storage and distribution to avoid the contamination of the tubers by bacterial and fungal pathogens.