1 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 Research on World Agricultural Economy https://ojs.nassg.org/index.php/rwae DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v4i1.787 Copyright © 2023 by the author(s). Published by NanYang Academy of Sciences Pte. Ltd. This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). *Corresponding Author: Yogendra Acharya, Planning Division, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Singha Durbar Plaza, Kathmandu, P.O. Box 5459, Nepal; Email: yogendraacharya9@gmail.com Received: 2 December 2022; Received in revised form: 3 January 2023; Accepted: 10 January 2023; Published: 12 January 2023 Citation: Acharya, Y., Upadhyaya, N., Sapkota, S., 2023. Socioeconomic Assessment of Mandarin Postharvest Loss: A Case of Gandaki Province, Nepal. Research on World Agricultural Economy. 4(1), 787. http://dx.doi. org/10.36956/rwae.v4i1.787 RESEARCH ARTICLE Socioeconomic Assessment of Mandarin Postharvest Loss: A Case of Gandaki Province, Nepal Yogendra Acharya1* Namdev Upadhyaya1 Sudha Sapkota2 1. Planning Division, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Singha Durbar Plaza, Kathmandu, P.O. Box 5459, Nepal 2. Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Singha Durbar Plaza, Kathmandu, P.O. Box 5459, Nepal Abstract: This study focused on the socioeconomic assessment of mandarin postharvest loss in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. Two mandarin growing districts Tanahun and Syangja of Gandaki province were selected for study purposes. A simple random method of sampling was employed to select 45 mandarin farmers from each district making a total sample size of 90. Primary data were collected with the help of a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule along with two focus group discussions and field observation of the mandarin orchard. Data were analyzed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper explored the mandarin production status, major post-harvest practices, marketing channels, and barriers to post-harvest technology adoption. The findings revealed that farmers were producing 5.4 tons of fresh mandarin each year earning around 50 thousand Nepalese rupees as profit from mandarin farming. Similarly, the result showed that the post-harvest loss was 8%-9% during the harvesting, grading, and packaging operation while a loss of 2%-3% was recorded during the transportation of mandarin from the production site to the wholesaler site. In total, loss ranging from 14%-18% was recorded in all chains of mandarin postharvest operations. Also, it was found that more than two-thirds (76.7%) of farmers practiced mandarin marketing based on pre- harvest contracts. The technical know-how of farmers about post-harvest technologies was a major challenge associated with the low adoption of mandarin post-harvest technologies. The concerned government agency, I/NGOs, and other organizations need to emphasize post-harvest loss issues by incorporating loss minimization activities in their program ensuring higher adoption of postharvest technologies by mandarin farmers and traders. Keywords: Agro-pastoralists perception; Post-harvest; Mandarin; Technology; Adoption http://dx.doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v4i1.787 mailto:yogendraacharya9@gmail.com http://dx.doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v4i1.787 http://dx.doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v4i1.787 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2447-5217 2 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 1. Introduction Citrus, particularly mandarin fruit (Citrus reticulate Blanco) is one of the most important and highly commer- cial fruit crops in Nepal. Mandarin being a sub-tropical fruit is highly suitable for undulating and marginal topog- raphy of the country. It is grown widely in mid hills of Nepal covering 56 districts of Nepal. Mandarin plays a significant role in the national economy which contributes 0.97% share in AGDP and 0.33% in GDP [1,2]. Production and marketing of mandarin fruit is an important source of income not just for mandarin farmers and traders, but also provides seasonal employment for many agriculture laborers. Mandarin being a non-climacteric and perishable fruit, losses of mandarin fruit during harvesting, handling and marketing are reported to vary between different per- centages. In Nepal the postharvest loss for citrus fruit was estimated from 15%-20% [3]. Minimizing postharvest loss of mandarin fruit is a very effective way to increase fruit availability and reduce the cost of cultivation for farmers which ultimately helps increase farmers’ income. Although mandarin has been grown widely as an im- portant commercial fruit crop in mid-hilly terrain, farmers are not fully acquainted with orchard management and post-harvest practices. Despite the ecological advantage, the production of mandarin fruits is still insufficient to meet the domestic demand of the country. Mandarin culti- vation provides a better profitable farming option to hilly farmers; however considerable attention has not been given to increasing post-harvest loss issues. Although the losses of mandarin fruits differ upon many factors as like management techniques, topography, climate, and varie- ties, the shelf life of horticulture production is greatly influenced by adopted postharvest management practices. Similarly, in the case of diverse farmers’ economic condi- tions and the farmers’ involvement in fruit production, there exist several issues related to production and post- harvest practices. The adoption of post-harvest technolo- gies at the farmers’ level demands awareness, knowledge and thereafter decision process. Mostly men are involved in decision-making tasks and most commonly those works which require more physical strength. Unlike this, emale are more likely expected to do manual and repetitive works which do not require more physical strength but encounter a lot of drudgeries [4]. The development of suit- able post-harvest technologies and their wider adoption among all mandarin farmers is crucial into reducing post- harvest losses. Reducing post-harvest losses can bring more food without bringing additional land in production and all post-harvest horticulturist need to coordinate their effort with those involved in production to the marketing system [5,6]. Although post-harvest is a worldwide issue, its challenge and impact are more prominent in developing countries like Nepal. Keeping this in view, a socio-eco- nomic assessment of mandarin post-harvest loss has been carried out to understand farmers’ knowledge and practice on post-harvest activities and associated losses in different stages of mandarin post-harvest operations. 2. Methodology 2.1 Study Area The research was conducted in two districts of Gandaki province. Out of eleven, nine districts of Gandaki prov- ince are somehow popular for mandarin production except for Manang and Mustang. Both Syangja and Tanahun dis- tricts were purposively selected for the study purpose as both districts rank first and second in terms of production area [1]. In total four locations were identified from two districts. Mygde and Shuklagandaki rural municipalities of Tanahun and Putalibazar and Arjunchaupari Munici- palities of Syangja were selected for study purposes. 2.2 Primary Information Primary data were collected by using pretested inter- view schedule administered to the 90 mandarin-growing farmers. Two focus group discussions were organized to get surplus and validate the information. Mandarin Or- chard, collection centers were visited in the study site in two districts of Gandaki province. Apart from farmers, AKC and farmers’ super zone program under PMAM- project was consulted for gathering all mandarin related information. 2.3 Secondary Information and Data Analysis Mandarin-related reports, scientific papers and books were reviewed to get the required secondary information on mandarin post-harvest-related technology. Data entry and analysis were done by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Microsoft excel software pack- age. Socio-demographic characters, mandarin production, and post-harvest loss were analyzed by using descriptive tools such as frequencies, percentages and mean as per need. Similarly, the barriers to the adoption of postharvest loss minimization technologies were ranked by using a five-point scale (Figure 1). The index related to the bar- rier factor was calculated by using the weightage average mean. The index of intensity was computed by using the following formula and ranking scale. Iprob = ∑Sifi/N, where, Iprob = Index value for intensity 3 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 Si = Scale value for the ith intensity Fi = Frequency of the ith intensity N = Total number of respondent Iprob= Index ((0 < I < 1) Figure 1. Five-point ranking scale. 3. Results and Discussion 3.1 Study on Knowledge, Perception and Adop- tion of Postharvest Technology along the Supply Chain 3.1.1 Descriptive Statistics of Variable The descriptive statistics of variables include the demo- graphic and socio-economic variables of surveyed house- holds. Table 1 represents the mean, standard deviation and minimum maximum value of the given variables. Mainly age, gender, education, farming experience, migration and mandarin cultivation status were some major variables given in the table. Mainly the average age of the respond- ent was 52 years with an age range from 22 to 79 years. In the case of gender, the majority of them were male (80%). The literacy level of the surveyed households was classi- fied as the number of schooling years. The result indicated that the average education level was 7 years of schooling. Also, outmigration for an employment opportunity is an important variable that indicates the status of household labor supply and household income status. The result showed that 43% of households had at least one member engaged in an overseas job. Similarly farming experience of respondent households can be considered an important variable as it is helpful in determining the choice behav- ior of farmers in adopting production and postharvest technologies. In this study, it was found that farmers have been cultivating mandarin for 18 years on average. Farm- ers have been growing mandarin traditionally since long ago, however production areas may vary as per land area availability and interest of farmers. Likewise, on average, the number of parcels used for mandarin production was found 2.26 in the study area. The detail of the value is given in Table 1. 3.1.2 Mandarin Farming Information regarding total mandarin plants, number of fruiting plants, sold quantity and annual income from mandarin was collected during the household survey. The result showed that farmers have been cultivating mandarin plants from 30 to 2500 in number. The average holding of the mandarin plant by farmers was 294 plants per house- hold while the value decreases to 178 plants if considering only fruiting mandarin plants per household (Table 2). Most of the farmers have been cultivating mandarin as a major farming business and one of the important sources of household income. In most cases, farmer earned their income by selling fresh fruit to traders and pre-harvest contractors. The finding indicated that on average farmers sold 5.3 tons of mandarin per year. Also, results showed that mandarin has contributed 50 thousand per year to farmers’ annual profit by selling fresh mandarin. 3.1.3 Social Class (Caste)-wise Number of Man- darin Plants There exists a social class category in most societies. In this study, three major classes were identified, Brah- min/Chettri, Janajati and Dalit. Among them majority of respondents were Brahmin/Chettri (62%), followed by Janajati (22%) and Dalit (16%) (Table 3). The Brahmins/ Chettri was the dominating caste in the surveyed area as shown below in the table. The results showed that among Table 1. Demographic variables. Variables Value Mean Std. Deviation Minimum Maximum Age of respondent Year in number 51.58 13.680 22 79 Education Years in number 6.96 4.762 0 17 Outmigration Abroad, yes = 1, otherwise = 0 0.43 0.498 0 1 Experience in mandarin farming Years in number 18.30 10.883 1 45 Total cultivated land Land area in ropani* 12.51 12.885 0 92 Land allocated for Mandarin Land area in ropani 8.40 9.97 1 80 No. of parcel for Mandarin Number of parcel 2.26 1.32 1 7 * Ropani = 508.74 m2 Source: Field survey (2020). 4 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 three groups, Brahmins have a higher average holding of mandarin plants in their orchards than others. 3.1.4 Training Received by Mandarin Farmers Figure 2 showed that farmers received a different kind of mandarin training. Among them, most farmers had re- ceived mandarin production-related training (37.8%) fol- lowed by orchard management training (32.2%). The per- centage of farmers getting postharvest training was quite less as compared to production and orchard management training. Only 10% of farmers were trained in postharvest knowledge and skills. Likewise training onthe marketing- related issue was negligible, and only 3.3% of farmers were lucky to receive such training. These low percent- ages indicated that concerned institutions and programs had given less priority to postharvest and market-related training. 3.2 Mandarin Postharvest Operation, Farmer’s Knowledge and Practice 3.2.1 Harvesting Criteria, Time and Collection Harvesting criteria are considered the beginning step of the postharvest operation. The different types of harvest- ing criteria may affect the postharvest quality of mandarin Table 2. Mandarin plant and annual income. Variables Value Mean Std. Deviation Minimum Maximum Total Mandarin plants (fruiting and non-fruiting) Number of plant 293.53 357.92 30 2500 Fruiting mandarin plants Number of fruiting plants 177.18 275.40 0 2000 Last season mandarin production Production in kg 5481.13 12175 0 75000 Last season sold mandarin Sold mandarin in kg 5380.19 12195.67 0 75000 Total annual profit from mandarin Annual profit in NPR 49475 144818.93 0 950000 Source: Field survey (2020). Table 3. Caste-wise mandarin plants. Caste N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Minimum Maximum Brahmin/Chettri 56 317.16 420.799 56.232 30 2500 Janajati 20 277.10 239.271 53.503 30 750 Dalit 14 222.50 189.643 50.684 50 600 Total 90 293.53 357.921 37.728 30 2500 Source: Field survey (2020). 37.80% 32.20% 10% 3.30% 62.20% 67.80% 90% 96.70% 0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00% 100.00% 120.00% Mandarin production training Orchard management training Postharvest related training Marketing related training Total Yes Total NoTraining received by farmers Figure 2. Training received by mandarin farmers. 5 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 to some extent. The result showed that most farmers fol- low mandarin harvesting based on the color of the fruit (54%) followed by the order of traders (28%). Also some farmers decide to harvest mandarin as per market price. The timing of mandarin harvesting could affect the shelf life of mandarin after harvest. In most cases, farmers do harvest mandarin fruit in the late morning time (53.3%), however still many farmers (45.6%) harvest fruits in the midday time. Higher temperatures during midday time and subsequent handling practices could affect the post- harvest quality of mandarin. Similarly, the result showed that after harvest, the majority of farmers used a plastic crate to collect the harvested fruits followed by a local bam- boo bucket (38%) (Figure 3). However, still some farmers were using jute/plastic sacks to collect the mandarin. 0 44.50% 37.80% 16.70% 1.10% Plastic Crate Bamboo bucket/Doko Jute/Plastic Sacks Other Figure 3. Collection of mandarin fruits after harvest. 3.2.2 Sorting of Mandarin after Mandarin Harvest Mandarin sorting after harvesting helps to avoid mixing fresh and healthy fruits with diseased and damaged fruits. Generally commercial farmers were more aware of sorting operations than normal farmers. The result depicted that almost 89% of farmers performed sorting operations sepa- rating 2.2% of mandarin as damaged and diseased ones. 3.2.3 Management of Sorted Mandarin Farmers performing sorting operations were asked to know what they do with sorted fruits. The findings showed that more than one-third of farmers (35.6%) did nothing with sorted fruits and left those decayed fruits in the orchard. In general, it is not suggested to leave those affected fruits in the orchard as it helps to spread disease infection and create a favorable environment for the pest population (Figure 4). Similarly, the result indicated that 34.4% of farmers were utilizing those sorted mandarin by making local wine. Among wine-making households, it became a source of small income for female member by selling homemade wine to local hotels and neighbors. 3.2.4 Mandarin Grading and Criteria for Grading Mandarin grading is one of the important and popu- lar postharvest operations among commercial mandarin growers. In this case selling purpose-graded mandarin fetches higher price than non-graded mandarin. Among surveyed farmers, almost all farmers (96%) had been prac- ticing grading operations. The common method of man- darin grading at a local level is a traditional method. The first choice of a farmer to grade their mandarin is based on the size and shape of the fruits. Farmers grade their fruits by deciding on the greater size, middle size and small- est size (locally called Jethi, Maili and Kanchi). Besides, some farmers also perform grading operations based on the color of fruits (24.4%) followed by damage made by inspecting pests (16.3%) and physical injury (12.8%). 3.2.5 Farmers’ Knowledge on Mandarin Process- ing Operation Due to its perishable nature, the processing of hor- ticultural crops is considered one of the key operations addressing postharvest loss issues. Further it helps to add monetary value to the product too. Although processing operation in mandarin is quite popular, farmers in the 35.60% 20% 10% 34.40% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Left in orchard Throw in open pit Burry in pit Local wine making and other Management of sorted mandarin Figure 4. Management of sorted mandarin by farmers. 6 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 studied area were found to be less aware. Only 45% of farmers knew it while 43% of farmers were unaware of it (Figure 5). The reason behind less awareness among farmers might be due to no surplus production in the main season. All the products get marketed easily, local and pre-harvest contractors play the lead role in marketing ac- tivity. 44.40% 12.20% 43.30% Yes Little bit No Figure 5. Farmers’ knowledge on mandarin processing operation. 3.2.6 Packaging Materials for Mandarin Plastic crate use was highly popular among mandarin farmers. Almost 98% of farmers had adopted plastic crates as a means for mandarin packaging. The types of packag- ing materials use greatly determine the extent of damage during subsequent handling, storage and transportation. Among different materials, some farmers (5.6%) were us- ing a bamboo bucket (doko) followed by paper cartoons (1.1%) (Figure 6). In the past decade, farmers used to face significant loss of mandarin annually due to not adopting proper packaging materials, but the trend of using plastic create has increased rapidly these days. However, still some farmers are forced to use a local bamboo bucket and even jute sacks due to the unavailability of plastic create. In some cases, carrying mandarin in the plastic crate was found difficult due to difficult hilly terrain. 5.60% 97.80% 1.10% 2.20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Bamboo Doko Plastic crate Paper carton Other Packaging materials Figure 6. Packaging materials use for mandarin. Although plastic crates are simple and common pack- aging materials, their availability at local a level is ques- tionable. In general, the cost for one piece of the crate goes from 400 to 700 Nepali rupees which can hold up to 20-22 kg of mandarin. However the durability of crate was reported to be less satisfactory for farmers. Also for a local contractor, the life span of one crate is no more than one year and for wholesalers at the national level; one crate can be used hardly for six months only. 3.3 Mandarin Transportation Depending upon packaging materials means of trans- portation, road condition and temperature a large volume of loss occurs during mandarin transportation. Figure 6 revealed that pick-up was the most used means of trans- portation for mandarin. Apart from a pickup, 28% farmers were using mini trucks and 12% of farmers were trans- porting mandarin manually (Figure 7). The result sug- gested that farmers’ preference was higher for pick up and still some farmers were not connected with vehicle trans- portation. 56.70% 27.80% 12.20% 1.10% 2.20% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Pick up Mini truck Manual Three wheeler/auto Others Transportation means Figure 7. Transportation means for Mandarin. 3.4 Mandarin Marketing Farmers act as the primary producer of mandarin. In general, farmers were involved as primary sellers whereas contractors, traders were primary buyers. Mainly farmers, and preharvest contractors/traders were the main actors involved in the marketing of mandarin, however, the role of traders was always dominating in purchasing mandarin from producers and supplying it to other districts [7]. The result showed that more than two third of farmers (76.7%) preferred mandarin marketing by means of contractors. Those pre-harvest contractors usually visit the farmers’ field after a few months of fruiting and negotiate the total value of the whole orchard with the producers. Different criteria such as the number of fruit trees, number of fruits per tree, shape, etc were used by both contractors and pro- ducers to finalize the monetary value of the orchard. After contract fixation, farmers were free to look after their mandarin; all tasks like harvesting, grading, packaging 7 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 and transporting of fruits were done pre-harvest harvest contractors. Although the contract basis of marketing was popular among farmers the profit margin of farmers had been compromised greatly. Farmers preferred pre-harvest contracts because of the low risk associated with harvesting and transportation. 3.5 Post-harvest Loss at Different Stage of Post- harvest Operation Since mandarin is a perishable and non-climacteric fruit, it shows great losses after harvesting. Worldwide postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables are high, but the rate is even higher for developing nation. The questions on perceived postharvest loss at different steps of posthar- vest operation were asked to mandarin farmers to assess the loss calculation. The study reported that higher loss was observed at the harvesting stage (3.14%) followed by transportation (2.95%) and the lowest loss was found in the packaging operation (1.2%). In total, mandarin post- harvest loss from harvesting to transportation stage was 11.41% in the first stage of marketing (Figure 8). 3.6 Barrier to Postharvest Technology Adoption Nepal faces the great postharvest loss of mandarin an- nually due to not adopting proper handling practices dur- ing different stages of postharvest operations. Minimizing these losses is only possible when farmers start adopting postharvest loss-minimizing technologies. As farming is subsistence in nature, the problems of mandarin farmers are mostly associated with a lack of technical knowledge related to production and marketing [8,9]. However, at the field level, farmers hesitate to adopt available postharvest technology due to technical and other reasons. The study results showed that a lack of knowledge of postharvest technology was the most important barrier to adopting available postharvest technologies (Table 4). Further, farmers believed that adopting those technologies was more expensive for them and also lack of reliable exten- sion service had made farmers more reluctant to technol- ogy adoption. 3.7 Marketing Channel and Postharvest Loss Mandarin reaches consumers’ hands through the in- 3.14% 2.12% 2.00% 1.20% 2.95% 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 3.00% 3.50% Harvesting Storage Grading Packaging Transportation Post harvest loass at different stages of postharvest operation Figure 8. Post-harvest loss at different stages of postharvest operation. Table 4. Barrier to the adoption of postharvest loss minimization technology. Barrier Score/Frequency Index value Rank 1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 Lack of reliable extension service 16 47 10 1 16 0.70 III Lack of knowledge about PH technologies 38 49 1 0 2 0.87 I Credit constraint 10 36 29 2 13 0.33 V Unwillingness to adopt technologies 6 32 31 3 18 0.61 IV High cost of technology adoption 13 50 22 1 4 0.75 II Source: Field survey (2020). 8 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 volvement of different actors like producers, preharvest contractors, wholesalers and retailers. The route through which mandarin from orchard to consumers is marketed is commonly called a marketing channel. In the study site, the majority of mandarin farmers preferred contract- based marketing to preharvest contractors or local traders. A postharvest loss of 8%-9% was recorded for harvest- ing, grading and packaging operation. A loss of 2%-3% was noted during the transportation of mandarin from the production site to the wholesaler site. The study showed that the total postharvest loss of mandarin within the chain goes up from 14% to 18% (Figure 9). The study done by Gangwar [10] in India also found that aggregate post-har- vest losses of kinnow mandarin from orchard to consumer in two different market ranges from 14.87% in Delhi mar- ket to 21.91 in Banglore market. Figure 9. Marketing channel and postharvest loss. 3.8 Economic Gain The observed postharvest loss of mandarin was 14% to 18% within the chain from production to consumer site. As per production data, the country had produced 0.17 million MT of mandarin with productivity of 10.30 MT/ Ha [11]. The the loss of mandarin in different stages of post- harvest operations indicates not only the loss of fresh pro- duce but also loss of money in importing mandarin from a foreign country. The two ways loss caused by a higher rate of postharvest loss can be minimized is by increasing the adoption of postharvest loss minimization technol- ogy at the farmer’s level. In general, it was estimated that reducing postharvest loss by at least 7% would be a direct gain of 620 million annually. If it was the case, it would also check Nepalese currency to go out of the country for importing mandarin. 4. Conclusions Mandarin contributes as a high-value fruit crop in the hilly area of Nepal from east to west helping cash earning for marginalized and poor farmers. The study indicated post-harvest loss ranges from 13%-18% in different stages of post-harvest operation. Although various that post- harvest technologies have been recommended, farmers face a great loss of mandarin annually due to not adopting proper post-harvest technologies during different stages of post-harvest operation. Most farmers had adopted plastic crates as one of the viable means of post-harvest technolo- gies. Uses of the plastic crate have increased rapidly these days playing an important role in minimizing post-harvest loss of mandarin to some extent. Promoting postharvest technologies within farmers’ and traders’ practices could be the best solution to reduce the direct loss of fresh man- darin fruits which ultimately minimizes the import quan- tity of mandarin from a foreign country. Similarly, there exist issues of higher price spread in the mandarin value chain. Poor marketing systems and weak institutional mechanisms could be major reasons behind it. Reliable extension service should be made easily available and extensional personnel should be regularly trained with recent postharvest management technologies. To make an impact, concerned programs and organization need to incorporate postharvest management activities in their programs ensuring that mandarin farmers and traders can be better involved in reducing postharvest loss. Author Contributions The corresponding author took the lead in writing the manuscript while all other co-authors provided critical feedback and helped in analysis, interpretation, and manu- script preparation. Acknowledgments We acknowledge the VCDP/KOICA project for fund- ing this research. Similarly, our sincere appreciation goes to Nepal Agricultural Research Council and to all respondent farmers and traders for their valuable time and suggestions. Data Availability All data are available in the main text or in the support- ing materials, whereas raw data can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request. 9 Research on World Agricultural Economy | Volume 04 | Issue 01 | March 2023 Conflict of Interest The authors disclosed no any conflict of interest. References [1] MoALD, 2020. Statistical information Nepalese Ag- riculture, Kathmandu: Government of Nepal. [2] Rokaya, P., Baral, D., Gautam, D., et al., 2016. Effect of postharvest treatments on quality and shelf life of mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). American Jour- nal of Plant Sciences. 7, 1098-1105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2016.77105 [3] Bhattarai, D.R., 2018. Postharvest horticulture in Ne- pal. Horticulture International Journal. 2(6), 458-460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15406/hij.2018.02.00096 [4] Tripathi, P C , Shukla, A.K, Babu, N., et al., 2016. Role of women in horticulture and women friendly technologies. Directorate of Research on Women in Agriculture: Bhubaneswar, India. pp. 9-11. [5] Gautam, D.M., Bhattarai, D.R., 2012. Postharvest horticulture. Bhawani Printers: Chabahil Kathmandu, Nepal. [6] Bhattarai, R.R., Rijal, R.K., Mishra, P., 2013. Post-harvest losses in mandarin orange: A case study of Dhankuta District, NepalAfrican Journal of Agri- cultural Research. 8(9), 763-767. [7] Shrestha, D., 2015. Production cost and market analysis of mandarin in Dhading district of Nepal. The Journal of Agriculture and Environment. 16, 112–119. [8] Pokhrel, C.N., 2011. Analysis of market chain of mandarin in Nepal: A case of Lamjung district Nepal [Master’s thesis]. The Netherlands: Van Hall Laren- stein University of Applied Sciences Wageningen. [9] Bastakoti, R.C., 2002. Production and marketing ef- ficiency of mandarin orange in western hills of Nepal [Master’s thesis]. Nepal: Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science. [10] Gangwar, L.S., Singh, D., Singh, D.B., 2007. Esti- mation of post-harvest losses in Kinnow Mandarin in Punjab using a modified formula. Agricultural Eco- nomics Research Review. 20(347-2016-16644), 315- 331. [11] NCRP, 2020. Annual progress report. National Citrus Research Program. Paripatle,Dhankuta: Nepal Agri- cultural Research Council (NARC). http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2016.77105