Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari has revealed that the country loses an estimated ₦3.5 trillion annually to postharvest inefficiencies, largely affecting smallholder farmers even as he unveiled system transformation program to tackle the challenge.
He said the initiative is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, to eradicate poverty, attain Food and Nutrition Security, Economic Growth as well as reduce Postharvest losses, Federal Government has unveiled an ambitious Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), to ensure a resilient, efficient, and inclusive postharvest handling and storage system that reduces losses, enhance incomes as well as achieve food sovereignty.
Speaking at the Nigeria Legacy Program, organized by the Africa Food Systems Forum in Partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in Dakar, Senegal, according to a statement by the Head of Department of Information, Ezeaja Ikemefuna on Sunday, the Minister stated that the NiPHaST Program would stabilize food prices, ensure availability, accessibility, affordability of stable food, improve storage system as well as achieve national food sovereignty.
The Minster said that the program would focus on household storage technologies, community-level warehouses, cold rooms, and strategic national silos managed through public–private partnerships, among others.
He pointed out it would create robust investment in the storage value chain in terms of processing, preservation, packaging, marketing , climate, smart metal Silos , cold rooms, among others.
He added that the initiative would unlock private sector investment, strengthen market confidence, and expand storage infrastructure.
He noted that it also improves agricultural exports, nutrition, household sales, job opportunities, farmer’s income, and wealth as well as achieved food import substitution in the agricultural ecosystem.
Kyari called for stronger international collaboration, stressing that transforming postharvest systems will secure farmer livelihoods, revive agribusiness confidence, and position Nigeria as a leading food supplier in West Africa
