A Comparative Study on Post-Harvest Losses Associated with Upcountry Vegetable before and During COVID -19 Pandemic Situation: A Case of The Welimada Divisional Secretariat Area

Abstract

Vegetables are essential food items that provide daily nutritional requirements to maintain healthy life for human beings. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain continuous production and supply. The unexpected Covid-19 plague disrupted the production, sale and distribution of vegetables so that producers, traders as well as consumers happened to face unexpected problems. Accordingly, a study was conducted with the main objective to investigate the post harvesting losses associated with upcountry vegetable before and under COVID-19 pandemic situation comparatively. To achieve the main objectives a field survey was carried out by collecting primary data from 16 traders from the Economic Center and 50 farmers from 05 Grama Niladhari Divisions of Welimada divisional secretariat area using stratified sampling technique. Additional information was collected by using interviews with farmers and traders and secondary data. Data was analyzed using quantitative, qualitative methods and paired T tests were performed to confirm the difference between the variables associated with before and during the COVID-19 pandemic statistically. Results reviled that, there was a significant difference (p <0.05) in post-harvest losses coursed at farm, transport and wholesale lelves in marketing of vegetables before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several factors affected to increase post-harvest losses and there are the harvesting was delayed, number of barriers were faced during transportation, the economic center has been closed for several days, vegetable prices have fallen and wholesales have declined. It can be concluded that the post-harvest damage to upcountry vegetable has been affected by the covid-19 pandemic.