Assessment of the cold chain capacity used in bulk handling of perishable agricultural produce in Uganda

Abstract

High food post-harvest losses negate the efforts geared towards improving food security and livelihoods of the population. There has been increased interest in addressing challenges associated with food post-harvest losses in policy circles, academia, and the private sector. Of the several mitigation measures suggested, investment in the food cold chain has been repeatedly pointed out as a solution to extensive postharvest losses worldwide, especially for perishable agricultural produce. This study assessed the cold chain capacity used in bulk handling of perishable agricultural produce (milk, meat, fish, fruits and vegetable) in the 16 cities of Uganda (Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale, Masaka, Hoima, Entebbe, Lira, Kampala, Fort Portal, Kabale, Moroto, Nakasongola, Wakiso, and Soroti). Furthermore, the study monitored temperature and relative humidity management of the cold chain facilities and lastly assessed knowledge, attitude and practices of perishable produce retailers towards the cold chain. A total of 51 cold chain facilities used for bulk handling of perishable agricultural produce were found in 09 out of the 16 cities. These were spread out across the cities of Kampala, Wakiso, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Entebbe, Gulu, Masaka, Soroti and Jinja, with Kampala having the highest proportion (47.37%). The total bulk refrigerated storage space in the 16 cities was 39849.25 m3 serving a total ‘within city’ local population of about 8.8 million people which translates to a refrigerated storage capacity of 4.50 m3 per 1,000 inhabitants. The private sector owned the highest proportion (75.44%) of the cold chain facilities and only 21.05% were publicly owned. Generally, the temperatures of the cold chain facilities were not managed effectively as they varied significantly from the respective set point(s) of the cold rooms over the study period. Majority (51.4%) of the perishable produce retailers had no knowledge of the cold chain and 71.56% reported absence of nearby cold chain storage options. Therefore, there is inadequate refrigerated storage capacity for bulk handling of perishable agricultural produce in Uganda and this presents a need for investment in this sector by both public and private players. Cold chain operators need to actively monitor and manage the cold storage temperature and humidity. Interventions should target sensitization of perishable produce retailers on the paramount importance of cold chain management. These interventions will contribute to reduction of post-harvest losses in perishable agricultural produce.