Reducing On-Farm Food Losses

In the OIC Member Countries

Figure 3.11: Processing Peanut into Oil and Groundnut Sticks

Source: Site Visits

The price for peanuts set by the producers who generally prefer to store peanuts and then sell

in times of shortage. The peanut oil vendors, peanut stick processors or those that sell roasted

peanuts are all potential customers. These clients prefer to buy large seed peanuts. A 100kg bag

of unshelled peanuts is sold for around 12 000 FCFA (20$) in times of abundance, while in times

of shortage it costs around 20,000 FCFA (40$). A bowl of shelled peanuts (30kg) costs around

25,000 FCFA (50$) in times of plenty and in times of shortage it costs around 42,000 FCFA (84$).

Table 3.10: Summary of the Volume and Market Value of On-Farm Losses of Groundnuts in Benin

Total Volume

Produced per

Annum

Conservative

Estimates of On-

Farm Losses

Losses in

Volume

Market Value per

Tonne

Losses in Value

150,000 Tonnes

2% In-Shell Peanuts

3,000

$200 In-Season

$400 Off-Season

$ 600,000

$ 1.2 million

5% Shelled Peanuts

7,500

$500 In-Season

$840 Off-Season

$ 3.75 million

$ 6.3 million

Source: Based on Above Estimates.

3.4.3. Causes of On-Farm Losses

The major diseases of economic importance affecting the groundnut crop in the field in West

Africa and Benin are early and late leaf spots (Cercospora arachidicola [Mycosphaerella

arachidis]), Phaeoisariopsis personata (M. berkeleyi), rust (Puccinia arachidis), collar rot

(Aspergillus spp.), root rot (Macrophomina phaseolina) and stem rot (Sclerotium [Corticium]

rolfsii). Among the major insect pests damaging groundnut are termites of the genus

Microtermes (Isoptera: Termitidae); whitegrub (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and millipede

(Myriapoda: Odontopygidae) (FAO, 2003).

It is important to harvest groundnut at the right time, meaning when the crop is mature. This

can be difficult because flowering is indeterminate in the groundnut. Therefore, there is a

variable proportion of mature and immature pods at the end of the crop cycle. Groundnuts are

mature when 70-80% of the inside of the pods shells have dark markings and the kernels are