Determinants of dairy consumption expenditure in urban communities of Southern Ghana

The main purpose of the study was to examine the level of household expenditure on dairy products and to identify the principal factors that influence the level of consumption expenditure on dairy products across households in Accra and Kumasi. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit primary information from a total of 303 households through a multi-stage sampling approach. The double logarithmic multiple regression model was found to be the most suitable functional form andwas thus used to examine the major determinants of household dairy consumption expenditure patterns. The principal determinants of aggregate dairy consumption expenditure were identified asincome level of household head, distance from home to purchase point and the level of urbanization of consumer’s home location. The study revealed that the elasticity of expenditure on dairy products(i.e. evaporated milk and raw fresh milk) with respect to own price is unity. Elasticity of expenditure with respect to income level and prices of substitutes was found to be less than unity. It became evidentfrom the study that raw fresh milk is an inferior commodity in Ghana. However, evaporated milk was found to be a normal commodity

Seed yam demand and supply gap in Ghana: Implications for commercialisation of seed yam production

The paper examined seed yam supply and demand across four yam producing districts in Ghana. Primary data were obtained from 108 yam farmers who were selected through a multistage random sampling approach. Data collection was done through personal interviews with the use of standardised structured questionnaires. Purely descriptive statistics and pictograms were used to analyse the data. The results showed that about 40 per cent of seed yam suppliers only sold surplus seed yams after planting their own yam fields. About 52 per cent of yam producers had difficulties in obtaining seed yams for cultivation. The demand for seed yams in Ghana far exceeds supply. About 30 per cent of seed yam demand was hardly met in the past three seasons (2007 – 2009). This unfulfilled demand for seed yams in yam producing districts presents a business opportunity for private investors to produce the commodity in commercial quantities. A more commercial approach to seed yam production could bridge the demand-supply gap by linking seed yam and yam producers through urban and local markets in the producing districts

Cost effectiveness of selected post harvest pod handling techniques against damage, mouldiness and aflatoxin contamination of shelled groundnut in Ghana

Some post harvest pod handling methods were evaluated at Ejura and at KNUST, Kumasi to determine the costs and effectiveness of the methods in minimising post harvest damage, mouldiness and aflatoxin (AF) contamination of shelled groundnut. The study was conducted in 2002 (dry season) and repeated in 2003 (wet season). Four treatments were imposed on pods from 180 m2 plots at harvest. The treatments were (i) inverted windrowing (1wk) followed by drying of the pods on mats (3wk) (ii) random windrowing (1wk) followed by drying of the pods on mats (3wk) (iii) stripping and drying of pods on mats (4wk) and (iv) storage of pods without drying (control). Costs involved in carrying out the treatments were estimated. Fungi associated with the kernels and AF levels were also determined at harvest and at 4 weeks. In both seasons, Aspergillus niger was the most common fungus associated with kernels at harvest and after the 4 wk pod handling periods. Aspergillus flavus was also encountered at both periods. When pods were dried for 4 wk, the amounts of damaged/mouldy ones that were rejected were low (2.7-13.1%; av. 8.6 %) compared with undried pods where 18.9-25.94% (av. 22.08%) were rejected. Aflatoxins were not detected in kernels at harvest and generally, dried pods had lower levels of AFs (0 - 0.7µg/kg) than the undried control pods (7278.1µg/kg). Visibly healthy pods sorted from the dried lots had kernel AF levels of 0.2 - 0.6µg/kg which were similar to the 0 - 0.7µg/kg levels associated with the unsorted lots. Sorting, however, cost an extra ¢31,354/100 kg lot (¢8,200 = $ US1), making the practice uneconomical for well dried pods. Total cost of pod drying up to 4 wk was the same for the random and the inverted windrowed crops (¢89,980/100 kg pod) but was ¢95,440 when pods were dried on mats immediately after stripping. When pods were not dried, cost of handling was ¢69,600/100 kg pods but due to the high AF contamination (7278.1µg/kg), kernels from such pods constitute total loss. Thus, both windrow and mat drying of groundnut pods are cost effective in controlling damage/mouldiness and AF contamination but costs are lower when windrowed. Journal of Science and Technology(Ghana) Vol. 27 (1) 2007: pp. 17-2