Post-harvest technology adoption and income patterns of tomato farmers in Nepal

A study was conducted in the Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal to analyze the post-harvest technology adoption among open field and plastic house tomato growers and assess the factors of tomato production determining the income of the farmers. Altogether fifty-six tomato growers were selected randomly following the Simple Random Sampling technique for the household survey. Primary data were collected using pre-tested interviews with tomato farmers. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Ms. Excel 2010. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate the adoption level of post-harvest technologies and a multiple linear regression model was carried out to estimate the factors of tomato production affecting the household income. Analysis of the post-harvest practices of farmers suggested that 53.85% of plastic house growers and 33.33% of open field growers harvested tomatoes in the yellow stage; 44.64% of farmers practiced grading; 88.5% plastic house tomatoes and 80.0% open field tomatoes were packed in plastic crates; only 26.49% practiced processing; more than half of the farmers had access to collection centers; the majority had a medium level of knowledge regarding different post-harvest management technologies. Among various factors, Nova variety was estimated to increase household income by 71% followed by production per unit area (48%), cost of cultivation (37%), access to processing industries (10%), and direct selling to consumers (9%). In wholesome, though NARC has recommended many post-harvest technologies, the adoption level is unsatisfactory. The unavailability of a sufficient quantity of quality fertilizers, lack of rural infrastructure facilities including roads, and inadequate technological extension were the factors hindering the adoption of post-harvest technologies in the study area.