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 News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
Isong, 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.
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