Abstract:
Demand for rice remains high in Liberia with low farm-level productivity arising due to
Postharvest losses. Insects and rodents as well as spoiling, bruising, disease attack, spillage,
contamination, and poor storage practices are major factors influencing rice yield. Rice output has
continuously declined with post-harvest losses accounting for about 10 to 40%. The ability of
smallholder rice farmers to improve output levels and attain sustainable yield depends on efficient
postharvest operations at the farm level, and hence technical post-harvest efficiency. The study
described post-harvest losses along the rice value chain, determined the effect of factors
influencing post-harvest rice loss, and estimated the effect of post-harvest losses on smallholder
rice farmers' Gross Margin in Liberia. A one-way ANOVA was used to describe PHL along the
rice value chain, whereas a logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors influencing
post-harvest rice loss among smallholder rice farmers in Liberia. The study revealed that rice
farmers incurred higher post-harvest losses, particularly at the harvesting and packaging stages of
the rice value chain whereas, Age, Household Size, Post-Harvest Training, Climatic Season,
Storage Method, and Harvesting Techniques are potential determinants of postharvest losses in
Liberia. Furthermore, Lofa, Bong, Nimba, and Grand Bassa counties incurred higher, thus
reducing their gross margins. The average gross margin of post-harvest loss was LRD 3,512.475
much lower than the average gross margin without loss LRD 8,826.114. This implied a 39.79%
reduction in the gross margin of smallholder rice farmers due to post-harvest loss valued over 2.8
million Liberian Dollars. The study also found birds, climatic conditions, and rodents to be major
causes of postharvest rice loss. Therefore, improvement of old-age practices and the development
of new technology through organized research efforts is necessary to prevent huge postharvest
losses of rice to meet the demand for food. There is an intense need to reduce PHL while promoting
efficient resource utilization to improve the livelihood and gross margin of smallholder rice
farmers in Liberia.
