Economics and Post-Harvest Losses of Major Cole Vegetables in Nagpur District of Maharashtra state

Introduction

The vegetable sector holds an important position in agricultural development by contributing to nutritional security, income generation and rural employment. Vegetable cultivation provides better economic returns per unit of land compared with conventional field crops and also creates opportunities for rural entrepreneurship through packaging, processing, logistics and marketing activities. Cole vegetables such as cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) form an important segment of horticultural crops and have considerable nutritional significance. They provide important vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre and are widely valued as part of a balanced diet. During 2024-25, the area under cole crops in India was about 953 thousand hectares, with an estimated production of 20,700 thousand metric tonnes. In Maharashtra, cole crops occupied about 31.13 thousand hectares with production of 455.46 thousand metric tonnes. In Nagpur district, cole crops were cultivated over 285 hectares with production of 64.13 tonnes. However, fresh vegetables remain highly perishable even after harvesting because of continuous respiration, transpiration and other metabolic activities. As a result, they are vulnerable to physical damage, moisture loss, microbial deterioration and reduction in market quality. Cole vegetables are particularly susceptible to post-harvest losses because of their high moisture content and delicate nature. These losses may occur during harvesting, handling, loading, transportation, storage and marketing. Improper harvesting practices, rough handling, unsuitable packaging, inadequate grading facilities, transportation problems and insufficient cold-chain infrastructure can further increase the magnitude of losses.

Such losses not only reduce the physical quantity of marketable produce but also lower its quality and economic value. Therefore, reducing post-harvest losses is important for improving food availability, marketing efficiency and the profitability of vegetable growers. In this context, an economic assessment of cabbage and cauliflower along with an analysis of post-harvest losses at different stages of the supply chain is important for identifying major areas of loss and improving post-harvest management. The present study was therefore undertaken in Nagpur district to assess the economics of major cole vegetables and to examine post-harvest losses from the farm level to the market level.

Material and Methods

The present study was undertaken in Nagpur district of the Vidarbha region, where cabbage and cauliflower were major cole crops, considering the concentration of area under these crops. Nagpur district was purposively selected and data pertaining to the 2025-26 agricultural year were considered. Four tehsils, namely Kamptee, Kalameshwar, Umred and Bhiwapur, were purposively selected based on their potential area under cole crops. From each tehsil, three villages were selected randomly, and 10 farmers were selected from each village, giving a total sample of 120 farmers comprising 60 cabbage growers and 60 cauliflower growers. For assessing post-harvest losses at the market level, 5 wholesalers and 10 retailers were also selected from the vegetable markets of the selected tehsils. Primary data on input utilization, cost and returns, post-harvest losses and production and marketing constraints were collected from the selected respondents through personal interviews using a pre-tested, structured schedule. The study pertained to the 2025-26 agricultural year.

Analytical Tools and Techniques

For cost and returns, standard cost concepts Cost A 1 , A 2 , B 1 , B 2 , C 1 , C 2 and C 3 were used. Gross returns were obtained from output and prevailing rate. Net returns were estimated by deducting the respective cost from gross returns. Benefit-cost ratio was calculated as gross returns divided by the corresponding cost.

Net returns

Benefit-cost ratio

It is a ratio between the value of gross returns and the cost of cultivation at different cost concepts. It was worked out by dividing gross returns by the total cost. It was calculated

Benefit-cost ratio = 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭

Post-Harvest losses

The post-harvest losses at different stages of marketing were analysed in the form of physical loss as well as monetary loss. Post-harvest monetary loss (ML) was expressed as follows:

ML={LF x GPF}+{LW x GPW}+{LR x GPR}

Where, LF is the physical loss of produce at field level. GPF is the gross price received by the farmer. LW is the physical loss during wholesaling. LR is the physical loss during retailing. GPW is the gross wholesale price. GPR is the gross retail price.

Results and Discussion

Conclusion

The study concluded that cultivation of both cauliflower and cabbage was economically viable in the study area. Cauliflower generated higher net returns and a higher benefit-cost ratio than cabbage, indicating comparatively greater profitability.Post-harvest losses were considerable at both farm and market levels. At the farm level, losses were 11.15 kg/qtl in cauliflower and 10.85 kg/qtl in cabbage, with harvesting being the major stage of loss. At the market level, losses were 7.27 kg/qtl in cauliflower and 7.10 kg/qtl in cabbage, where loading and unloading contributed the highest losses. Overall, the findings indicated that improving harvesting, handling, packing, transportation and marketing practices could reduce post-harvest losses and improve the profitability of cauliflower and cabbage cultivation.

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