Assessing Post-Harvest Losses of Rice Processing at Agricultural Business Centers (ABCs) in Rice Production in Sierra Leone

Abstract

: The majority of Sierra Leoneans consume rice as their primary staple food every day. The most significant staple crop worldwide and in Sierra Leone is rice (Oryzae sativa L.), which provides nourishment for about half of the world's population. The goal of this research is to quantify post-harvest losses in rice processing at agriculture business centers (ABCs). The research experiment was carried out at eight selected functioning Agriculture Business Centers (ABCs) in eight districts across Sierra Leone. An assessment was conducted to determine the level of knowledge and farmers’ awareness of post-harvest losses from harvesting to milling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from two hundred and thirty-two (232) rice farmers who were selected through a combination of multi-stage, purposive, and simple random sampling techniques. Yemen's (1967) scientific formula was adopted in selecting the sample size. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive statistical tools for a phased estimation of postharvest losses. The study areas were found to be dominated by females; only 84 (36%) were males. The data showed that 92 (39.7%) of the farmers had no formal education in the research areas; the majority (63%) of the rice farmers cultivated between 1 and 3 hectares; and 98 (42.2%) had farming experience between 10 and 14 years. According to the findings, the majority of respondents (80%) believe that postharvest losses are excessive. From the results, threshing losses account for the peak of 26%, which is 0.26 kg; 92.7 percent of the respondents revealed that a lack of harvesting equipment is the main challenge; and 41.8 percent of the respondents have a strong belief that the problems of postharvest losses of rice can be significantly reduced through mechanization. The results revealed that drying losses vary significantly between parboiling methods. The values obtained for milling are different for both, but they are not significant. The values obtained from the grain quality parameters (head grain, fissuring, 1000 grain weight, chalky, and dockages) show a significant difference between the improved and traditional methods for parboiled rice at the @=0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that threshing losses had an adverse effect on rice farmers' income and consequently recommended awareness campaigns and demonstrations on rice handling and postharvest loss prevention.