Abstract:
Reducing postharvest losses is crucial in
enhancing food security by improving the affordability
and availability of safe and nutritious food. In Sri
Lanka, the tomato supply chain faces greater postharvest
losses mainly during transportation to wholesale markets.
This study was conducted with the objectives of
recognizing both the quantitative and qualitative loss of the
tomatoes in one major wholesale market, in Sri Lanka,
“Peliyagoda” sourced from different regions in Sri Lanka, and
to recognize the reasons/ postharvest practices affecting
such differences. Wholesale boxes of tomatoes from three
major tomato growing areas in Sri Lanka, “Suriyawewa”,
“Balangoda” and “Kurunegala” were purchased from the
“Peliyagoda” wholesale market and quantitative loss was
assessed as a percentage of unmarketable tomatoes. They were
further categorized as physical damage, physiological
damage, and pathological and entomological damage.
Then, the tomatoes of each box were analyzed for their
qualitative parameters such as weight, color, firmness, and
total soluble solids along with the shelf life of the tomato. Our
results indicated that 22%-33% of postharvest losses
occur across these regions, primarily due to physical damages
(18%-20%). Box 2 and 3 from Balangoda and Kurunegala,
harvested during the rainy season, experienced higher losses
(10%-13%) due to physiological damage. Quality losses,
including color change, firmness loss, and shorter shelf life (12
days), were prominent in improperly sorted boxes from
Suriyawewa which contained >50% light red to red tomatoes.
Future studies should extend the analysis throughout
the supply chain, aiming to identify the root causes of these
losses and enhance food security through facilitating
necessary interventions.
