An analysis of post-harvest losses and marketing practices of banana in Khagaria district of Bihar

Abstract

The present study, entitled “An Analysis of Post-Harvest Losses and Marketing Practices of Banana in Khagaria District of Bihar,” was undertaken to examine the extent of physical and economic losses and to evaluate the efficiency of various marketing channels. The study was confined to the Khagaria district, where Gogri block was selected purposively due to its significant banana production. From this block, five percent of banana-growing villages were selected, and ten percent of banana cultivators were chosen randomly for data collection. The analysis revealed substantial variations in post-harvest losses and marketing efficiency across three identified marketing channels. In Channel I, physical loss was limited to 3.5 kg and economic loss amounted to Rs. 130.37, occurring solely at the farm level, with no additional losses at packaging, wholesale, or retail stages. Channel II showed a total physical loss of 6.4 kg and economic loss of Rs. 238.30, with losses incurred at farm, packaging, and wholesale levels. Channel III recorded the highest physical and economic losses—7.7 kg and Rs. 286.72 respectively—spanning all stages including retail. Marketing cost and efficiency varied significantly, with Channel I showing the highest marketing efficiency at 115.40%, while Channel II and III recorded lower efficiencies of 6.49% and 4.62% respectively. These findings indicated that the number of intermediaries and increased handling contributed to both higher losses and lower efficiency. The study concluded that enhancing post-harvest management practices in packaging, storage, and transportation is essential to minimize losses and improve marketing efficiency.