Influence of postharvest handling technology on market price of maize among smallholder farmers in Soroti sub county, Soroti district.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate on the effects of the postharvest handling technology on maize and how it affects market prices for smallholder farmers in Soroti Sub County. The objectives of this study were; to find out the gap between farmers who have undergone postharvest handling technology training and those at have not been trained, to determine the impact of postharvest handling technology training on maize farmers in Soroti Sub County. The study will be significant to the government, farmers, policy makers development partners and me as a student.

The study was conducted in eastern Uganda, Teso sub region, specifically Soroti Sub County in Soroti district. Soroti being one of the highest producers of maize in Teso sub region and eastern Uganda at large, it also serves as a major marketing area in Teso so it was selected for ease to reach out to different markets of maize. A total population of 55 respondents was picked randomly to help come up with finding of the report. The tools used to gather information were structured questionnaires, interview guide for key informants. Primary data was gathered from interviews, observation and structured questionnaire, while secondary data was obtained from the archives of various organizations, published and unpublished materials, books, journals and reports. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative analysis, and was analyzed using (SPSS) computer software.

The study showed that the prices of maize is affected by the quality of maize and this proved that most farmers did not use modern post-harvest handling technologies for harvesting their maize so there is need for government and NGOs to train farmers on post-harvest handling technologies.