Ghana, Maize, 2017

Ghana's estimated postharvest losses for maize in 2017 was 360,029 tonnes or 18.0% which had an estimated value of more than 120 million US dollar, which corresponds to 1.0% of national agricultural GDP.

As for nutrition 1,256 billion kcal were lost, which is the equivalent of more than 1 million people, in terms of annual nutritional dietary energy requirements. In the value chain, the majority of the loss is estimated to be happening at Harvesting/field drying, Household-level storage, and then Further drying. Highest estimated postharvest maize losses in tonnes were estimated to occur in Eastern.

To view the list of studies used to estimate these losses, please see the References tab.

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses

Production quantity (tonnes)
Estimated postharvest losses (tonnes)

2011–2021
2011	1699135
2012	1949897
2013	1764477
2014	1768576
2015	1691642
2016	1721911
2017	2003109
2018	2306384
2019	1539485
2020	1539485

Produced	2,003,109 tonnes
Estimated postharvest losses	18.0% / 360,029 tonnes / > 120 million USD

Production quantity	Estimated postharvest losses
82.0265 Production quantity: 2,003,109 tonnes	18.0 Estimated PHL: 360,029 tonnes

See full postharvest losses data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Value chain

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses in % per value chain step. Please note that once loss has occurred at harvesting, the percentage loss in the next stage is a percentage of what remained, not of the original amount.

Estimated % of crop left
Estimated % of crop lost

	Amount remaining(%)	Estimated postharvest loss(%)
Production	100 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%
Harvesting/field drying	93.58 Remaining: 93.58% Est. PHL: 6.42%	6.42 Remaining: 93.58% Est. PHL: 6.42%
Further drying	89.58 Remaining: 89.58% Est. PHL: 4%	4 Remaining: 89.58% Est. PHL: 4%
Threshing and Shelling	88.26 Remaining: 88.26% Est. PHL: 1.32%	1.32 Remaining: 88.26% Est. PHL: 1.32%
Transport from field	85.90068 Remaining: 85.90068% Est. PHL: 2.35932%	2.35932 Remaining: 85.90068% Est. PHL: 2.35932%
Household-level storage	80.66394 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 5.23674%	5.23674 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 5.23674%
Transport to market	80.66394 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 0%
Market storage	80.66394 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 80.66394% Est. PHL: 0%

See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Nutrition

Number of people whose annual dietary requirements (in terms of energy, kcal) could have been met by consuming the maize that was lost postharvest, and what % of the focal group of the population this number equates to.

Total number

1,470,835

people, 5.0%

Children 1-3

3,491,345

children, 139.9%

Pregnant women 19-30

1,263,754

women, 594.3%

Men 31-50

1,118,773

men, 36.1%

See full nutritional impact data for Children 1–3 › | Pregnant women 19–30 › | Men 31–50 ›