POST-HARVEST LOSSES AND BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY AT F&V MARKETS: A CASE STUDY OF MUZAFFARGARH

Abstract

Postharvest losses across the food and supply chain are one of the major concerns for achieving food security and economic sustainability in developing countries, like Pakistan. The market intermediaries, i.e., dealers and commission agents, play a central role throughout the food supply chain in Pakistan, from farm production to the end consumer. This study investigates the volume and causes of food losses, and post-harvest management by these market intermediaries at Fruit & Vegetable (F&V) markets in district Muzaffargarh, one of the major producers of essential commodities in the South Punjab region of Pakistan. A survey was conducted in four (04) F&V markets of the district to collect data on a pre-tested questionnaire, through simple random sampling, from 94 F&V market intermediaries. The descriptive statistics and econometric models, including multiple linear and binary logistic regressions, were employed for data analysis. The result reveals that every market intermediary experiences an average of 100-200 kg per day, valued at about 1,500 to 3,000 rupees per day, majorly due to rotten and damaged produce (85%). The finding highlights that the causes of food losses in the F&V markets reported by market intermediaries include storage facilities (77.7%), inadequate handling (69.9%), and inadequate packaging (61.7%). The result of the multiple linear regression indicates that the lack of storage facilities and inadequate packaging significantly increase food waste, whereas the intermediaries’ training and their business experience reduce the food waste at the market level. Furthermore, result describes that business sustainability is positively associated with access to training, advisory services, and credit facilities for the market intermediaries. The study concludes that post-harvest losses are a substantial economic drain, driven by infrastructural deficits and market inefficiencies. It is recommended that the targeted interventions, including investment in cold storage infrastructure, training programs on post-harvest handling, and improved market mechanisms, must be adopted to enhance the resilience and profitability of F&V market intermediaries in the region