Nigeria currently ranked world poverty capital with over 91million people living below a dollar daily.
“Unless the private sector drives the economy of Nigeria there is nothing the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) would do that will yield the required development in the post-harvest loss in Nigeria” this was proposed by Alex Isong, MD/CEO of ALYX Ltd.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Muhammad Sabo Nanono on October 16, 2019 while celebrating World Food Day at Abuja made a notable remark that “If we are to follow the statistic of farm produce, there should be no hunger in Nigeria because Nigeria produces even more than it can consume”.A factual statement, however, it is not our reality sequel to massive loss and wastage of farm produce propelled by poor processing, preserving, storage and distribution of post-harvest.The Director General of FIIRO recently lamented that the country post-harvest losses have risen to over 25 billion dollar annually.Prof.(Mrs.) Gloria Elemo, the chief speaker at a two day workshop of GAIN-PLAN Nigeria cold chain summit 2017, stated that post-harvest losses in Nigeria are estimated to be about 50% of foods produced.Aside the biological drivers for PHL, our farming systems are at the subsistence level generally, thus, with no apposite mechanization and infrastructures to augment.
Nigeria currently generates 24 million tons of food waste annually.The total rice paddy production in 18 states under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor borrower programme (ABP) of Nigeria in 2016 was estimated at 17,487,562 metric tons, leaving a balance of about 11.4 million metric tons after accounting for 12.4% of rice production wasted due to post harvest losses.It saddens that Nigeria being the 2nd largest producer of tomatoes and 14th in the world is the largest and first in the ranking of tomatoes paste importer in the world which is upshot of over 70% of tomatoes produced in Nigeria are wasted and rot due to inadequate processing, preservation, storage and distribution facilities.
Our solution aims at bridging the gap between the farmers and consumers by taking the responsibilities of purchasing large scale farm output of interest, process, preserve and distribute to consumers through online and offline sells centers.This will be leaving the farmers with a responsibility, that is, to ensure increasing large scale output at harvest reducing to the barest minimum the high cost of farm produces resulting from farm wastage, ensure food security in Nigeria, and delist Nigeria from world.
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