Nigeria loses an estimated $10 billion annually to post-harvest losses, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja. The losses vary sharply by crop type. Grains including rice, maize and millet account for losses of between 15 and 20 per cent, while tomatoes, pepper, onions, fruits and vegetables can see waste reach 60 to 70 per cent depending on the season. The minister attributed the high losses on perishables partly to their short shelf life and the effects of hot weather, particularly affecting tomatoes.
Kyari described reducing post-harvest losses as a low-hanging fruit in Nigeria's food security strategy, saying the country could significantly improve food availability and farmers' earnings by addressing weaknesses in storage, processing, transportation and market infrastructure. However, existing storage facilities have become a major bottleneck. Out of 33 silo complexes built by the Federal Government, 17 were concessioned to private operators, but only three are performing. The minister said the remaining 14 have been almost non-functional since they were concessioned.
A key problem is the distance between farming communities and storage facilities. Some farming communities are situated more than 100 kilometres from major storage facilities, making it difficult and costly for farmers to transport their produce to the silos. The minister argued that the country's storage strategy must be redesigned to reflect the geographical distribution of agricultural production rather than depend exclusively on large-scale facilities located far from farming communities.
To address these shortcomings, the Federal Government is considering smaller, modern community silo systems that could be deployed closer to farming communities. The proposed facilities would draw inspiration from traditional grain-storage practices while incorporating modern technology, ventilation and renewable energy. The facilities could be designed to accommodate capacities of 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 tonnes, depending on the productive capacity of the communities they serve. Kyari noted that traditional grain-storage structures, known in Hausa as grumbu, offered a useful starting point for developing storage systems adapted to local conditions.
Beyond addressing post-harvest losses, Kyari said the government's approach to food security had evolved to include consumption of nutritious and diverse diets. Food security must be assessed not only by the volume of food produced or available in markets, but also by whether households can consume nutritious food capable of supporting healthy growth. He disclosed that agriculture had assumed a higher level of national coordination, with the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit bringing together relevant sectors including agriculture, water resources, environment and health. The minister also noted that between 85 and 90 per cent of Nigerian farmers were smallholders, with the average farm size standing at approximately 0.6 hectares.