ActionAid, others lament Nigeria’s N3.5trn yearly post-harvest losses
With the recent Federal Government declaration of State of Emergency on Food security, ActionAid Nigeria, Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), and the CAADP Non-State Actors Group (CNG) have called on governments at all levels to establishment of small cottage processing and storage facilities in communities.
According to the group, this will reduce the N3.5 trillion post-harvest losses the country experience annually.
They further explained that if broken down, about N94.5 billion annual losses per 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking at a joint press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, a member of SOWFON, Mrs Wakilat Okeji, said postharvest losses is one of the foremost challenges faced by smallholder farmers especially women in communities in Nigeria.
“It devastates our efforts and incomes, leaving us poorer and continues to hinder Nigeria’s food and nutrition security.
“This also means that about 50% of production is lost to post-harvest losses in Nigeria which is 50% income losses for smallholder farming families despite other challenges they are faced with across Nigeria, especially for smallholder women farmers,” she said.
Also, the Police and Advocacy Manager, One Campaign, Mr Rasaq Fatai, said the government should do something urgent to savage the situation.
According to him, “If nothing is done urgently, Nigeria cannot achieve food and nutrition security as smallholder women farmers’ access to processing facilities is only 26%, storage facilities only 18%, transportation only 10%, market access only 21% and trainings to reduce post-harvest losses only 39%. All these alarming level of access across the 36 States and the FCT,”
The Manager Food and Agriculture, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Azubike Nwokoye, said the three tiers of government must urgently rethink its approaches in agriculture and rural infrastructures by deliberate investments in the agriculture sector.
According to him, “The President and the State governors should take charge of the agriculture sector for our food and nutrition security by deliberate massive investments especially in post-harvest losses reduction.
“The Federal and State Governments should concentrate on small cottage processing and storage facilities in communities based on different commodities to be owned operated, sustained, and expanded by smallholder women farmer’s cooperatives,” he said
