Assessment of enset (Enseteventricosum) (Welw) Cheesman) processing and it’s postharvest: Constraints in post-harvest handling and farmer’s preferences

Abstract

Enset, grown worldwide despite purposive production and consumption, is only in Ethiopia where it supports as staple and co-staple food for about 20% of Ethiopia people mostly in south and southwestern parts. The study aimed on enset processing and post-harvest techniques in enset producing areas covering Jimma and Keffa zones and Yem special districts which has participated about 128 farmers. In the area, participants portrayed before harvesting matured enset identified using different criteria such as pseudostem size, leaf and leaf sheath color change, year counting from the start of transplanting to harvesting, flowering and expose of corm stated by majority of respondents (43.75%). Additionally, all respondents (100%) responded the traditional enset harvesting/processing method is tiresome and cumbersome. The processed enset is stored for fermentation either in pit lined with leaf and leaf sheath (87.20%) or above ground in wrapped leaf and leaf sheath (12.80%) depending on harvesting season. The respondents also added traditional fermentation enhancer to hasten fermentation and shorten time of fermentation. From the study, the critical problem identified for this indigenous crop upon which people depended was the non-modified processing technique which is time consuming, tiresome why new generation neglecting enset production despite its multi-merit calling for multidisciplinary and integration research to find consistent solution.