Abstract
This study examined the effect of post-harvest losses on the income of local pepper (Capsicum chinense) farmers in Yewa division of Ogun State, Nigeria. Specifically, the socioeconomic characteristics of pepper farmers in the study area, the causes of post-harvest commodity deterioration in pepper farming in the study area and the relationship between per capita income loss due to pepper deterioration and selected socioeconomic factors. A total of one hundred and forty (140) farmers were randomly sampled. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression models were used to analyse the study data. This study revealed that majority of the farmers were male with an average age of 46, married; with the vast majority (98.5%) educationally endowed. The average household size and years of farming experience were 5 members and 16 years, respectively. The result also revealed that the pepper farmers generated an average income of N638, 148.15k annually; and also experiencing an average post-harvest income loss of N95, 056.29 per annum. Pest attack and loss of commodity in transit during commodity marketing were identified as the leading causes of post-harvest food loss among the pepper farmers. Distance of farm to market sites (0.230; p<0.05); duration of post-harvest storage in transit (0.154; p<0.1), and quantity of pepper fruit harvested (0.277; p<0.01) statistically increased per capita income loss, respectively; while years of farming experience (-0.238; p<0.01) reduced it among the pepper farmers. Provision of suitable assistance to pepper farmers to address infrastructural deficit (bad roads and lack of storage facilities); training on post-harvest pepper handling and suitable transit packaging techniques for pepper produce in transit, and support on value addition to harvested produce (pepper) were recommended to sustain farmers’ interest in the production of pepper.