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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the value chain (VC).

The study evaluated the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the VC.

Total postharvest losses for 2011-2012 were estimated to be 24-27 per cent of total production with a minimum economic loss of USD69,983/annum/firm, and a total loss of more than USD500,000/annum between the VCs analysed. The bulk of the losses occurred at farm level during handling and transportation. The major factors contributing to banana postharvest losses were: unreliable transport, poor communication and coordination between producers and processors; lack of or inefficient temperature management and poor sanitation.

The study identified production capacity, quality and branding as opportunities and challenges in the banana industry. Currently, there is a 40 per cent unmet local demand for bananas and hence there are no exports. If modern banana handling systems are employed and more research and development is carried out along the VC, postharvest losses can be reduced significantly, resulting in increased income and potential expansion of the industry.

This is the first known attempt to analyse the banana VC in southern Africa and quantify postharvest losses.