By Moses Kanyambindwa- Agriculture Lecturer African Rural University
It is that time of the year when harvesting of the second season crops Starts. Across
Kagadi and the country, farmers will soon be harvesting cereals and vegetables, with a
mind on the Christmas season market. While vegetables will be sold almost
immediately, some of the cereals will be dried and to be taken to the market at a later
stage.
According to research, farmers lose 30-40% of their produce during this period.
To avoid losses, I advise farmers to do the following; Harvest only mature produce:
Immature produce compromise the quality of the foods For vegetables, stop using
chemicals at least two weeks before harvesting; Chemical residues is one of the
reasons Ugandan vegetables find it difficult to get consistent markets in Europe.
Thinking about the handling vegetables: For example throwing tomatoes around
wooden boxes may affect their longevity. Place them in holding boxes gently, rather
than throwing them in.
For cereals, select a good place for drying them forexample using driers while
monitoring their recommended moisture content using moisture meters measures that is
available for you, this may be locally made. Most cereals like maize and groundnuts are
easily affected by deadly aflatoxins.Do not leave them under rain, because this causes
them to rot. When they are dried, store them in dry, beautiful or aerated polythene sacks
as you wait for buyers. Keep them on raised pallets. Keep storage pests and rodents
away from your produce