By Muhammad Amaan
Nigeria loses between 30 million and 40 million metric tonnes of food yearly because of poor storage, worsening hunger, raising food prices and reducing farmers’ incomes.
The President of the Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), Mr Alexander Isong, disclosed this in an interview with the Newsmen on Sunday.
Mr Isong, who is also the Country Director, Nigeria World Agriculture, said millions of Nigerians struggled to afford food while enormous quantities of farm produce perished before reaching consumers because of inadequate cold chain infrastructure.
He said between 30 and 50 per cent of fruits, vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, onions, fish, meat and dairy products were lost after harvest every year.
According to him, the annual losses, valued between N3.5 trillion and N5 trillion, could be drastically reduced through strategic investment in cold storage facilities.
“Every year, Nigeria loses between 30 million and 40 million metric tonnes of food because we lack sufficient cold storage and refrigerated transportation,” he said.
He said the wasted food could feed millions, generate income for farmers and create jobs across agricultural value chains if properly preserved and transported.
According to him, dwindling supplies caused by post-harvest losses continue to push food prices beyond the reach of many vulnerable households.
He said reducing post-harvest losses would improve food availability without expanding cultivated farmland or increasing pressure on limited agricultural resources.
Isong urged governments and investors to expand refrigerated transport, cold rooms, pack houses and processing facilities across major food-producing communities.
He said Nigeria required about 5,000 refrigerated trucks and at least 100 cold rooms to preserve perishable produce and reduce avoidable waste.
He also advocated reliable electricity, solar-powered cold storage systems and improved rural roads to strengthen food distribution and reduce losses.
Mr Isong urged the Federal Government, states, development partners and private investors to collaborate in building modern cold chain infrastructure nationwide.
According to him, preserving more harvested food would stabilise prices, improve farmers’ earnings and strengthen national food security.
“The food we lose yearly can make a significant difference in reducing hunger if preserved and transported efficiently,” he said.
He said Nigeria produced sufficient food in many sectors, but poor preservation prevented much of it from reaching consumers.
He said reducing post-harvest losses, improving logistics, securing farming communities and supporting farmers with infrastructure would lower food shortage risks and stabilise prices.
Isong urged state governments to invest in agricultural infrastructure in spite of concentrating mainly on increasing production.
He recommended aggregation centres, cold rooms, processing facilities and produce markets close to farming communities to reduce waste and improve year-round food supplies.
