By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The Federal Government has unveiled an ambitious Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST) to ensure a resilient, efficient, and inclusive post-harvest handling and storage system.
Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to eradicate poverty, achieve food and nutrition security, and promote economic growth.
The Minister announced this at the Nigeria Legacy Programme, organized by the Africa Food Systems Forum in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa in Dakar, Senegal.
He stated that the post-harvest programme would focus on household storage technologies, community-level warehouses, cold rooms, and strategic national silos managed through public-private partnerships, among other initiatives.
Kyari emphasized that the programme would drive robust investment in the storage value chain, including processing, preservation, packaging, marketing, climate-smart metal silos, and cold rooms, among others.
He added that the initiative would unlock private sector investment, strengthen market confidence, and expand storage infrastructure.
The Minister revealed that Nigeria loses an estimated 3.5 trillion naira annually due to post-harvest inefficiencies, which largely affect smallholder farmers.
