Impact of adopting re-usable plastic crates on postharvest losses among small scale tomato producers in Kano State, Nigeria

Postharvest losses remain a major constraint to tomato value chain efficiency in Kano State, where raffia woven baskets continue to dominate postharvest handling despite their contribution to mechanical damage and spoilage. Reusable plastic crates (RPCs) have been promoted as a viable alternative, however, evidence on their adoption, efficacy and impact remains limited. This study aims to examine the impact of adopting RPC on postharvest losses among small scale tomato producers in Kano State, Nigeria. The primary data were collected from 209 tomato producers using a multi-stage sampling approach and semi-structured questionnaires. An endogenous switching regression (ESR) model was employed to provide unbiased and comprehensive estimates of the impact. The results show that adoption is positively and significantly influenced by farming experience, education, income, cooperative membership, and livelihood diversification, while gender and farm size negatively affect adoption. Producers predominantly use RPC alongside raffia woven baskets rather than fully replacing traditional methods. Impact estimates indicate that adoption significantly reduces financial losses, with an average reduction of about 75% for both non-adopters and adopted. These findings confirm the effectiveness of the technology and also highlight the persistence of partial adoption. Improving access to crates, strengthening cooperative systems, enhancing producers training, and disseminating targeted information on effective postharvest handling practices are critical to scaling adoption, reducing postharvest losses, and improving overall efficiency within the tomato value chain in Kano State.