The Director of Teaching and Research Farms, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Markudi, Prof Felix Ugese, has disclosed that Nigeria loses about $9bn annually as a post-harvest loss.
He stated this while speaking on the theme “Unlocking Agricultural Potential for Economic Growth” at the Agroween Festival 2024, organised by the Intergenerational Rescue Foundation in collaboration with Yabatech and held in Lagos on Wednesday.
He noted that the high post-harvest loss in the country could be tackled through value addition.
“Value addition gives you higher returns for the effort made. And also reduces post-harvest losses. Now, our post-harvest losses have risen to over $9bn per annum.
“It is not a small loss. And the African average is about $4bn per annum. Now, everyone is saying a reduction in post-harvest losses leads to $40bn in output gains. And the farmer is the greatest beneficiary.
“So, what we are going to be gaining by reducing post-harvest losses is huge. But now, up to 50 per cent of what we produce goes to waste,” he declared.
He added that the country must take drastic measures to achieve food security to feed its growing population, which is estimated to hit 400 million by 2025.
“The volume of food at the current level cannot feed that population. And so, something very drastic is done. As a way of enhancing productivity, we are going to be having more people starving than what we are witnessing.
“Now, the global hunger index. We have the 110th position out of 127 countries. Currently, we have 25 million people who need food assistance. By next year, we will have 33 million people.
“So, it is not a good story. So, there is going to be more hunger next year unless something very drastic is done,” he stated.
He added that though the government seemed overwhelmed by the current food challenges, it must collaborate with the private sector to address them.
He also said the government should implement policies that promote access to cheap funds and increase the ratio of extension workers to farmers.
He explained, “There need to be private sector initiatives and increased investment in research and development. We need more research to be able to move forward. We cannot depend on what other countries are doing. We need ours to be where they are.
“It is an area we may not be capable of influencing because we are not directly charged. We can offer useful advice. For instance, the topic of borrowing for cost. It is too high. The government must put in place policies that impact positively on agricultural productivity.
“We have the lowest ratio of bank extension agents to farmers in all of Africa. In Nigeria, the ratio is one bank extension agent to 10,000 farmers. All the other countries have one extension agent to 1,200 farmers.”
The Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr Ibtaheem Abdul, stated that Nigeria has to embrace its agricultural sector to be able to tackle food insecurity in the country.
“This remarkable event has caused transformative potential, not only for agriculture but for economic growth. I want to thank the Intergenerational Rescue Foundation, which is partnering with our School of Agricultural Technology, for this vision and innovation. We are in an era, an age, where what matters is not the routine.
“There is a saying that says you can’t be doing something the same way all the time and expect a different result. The result will always be the same thing. But if you think out of the box or without the box and you bring up an innovative idea, then we can be expecting an innovative or different solution,” he averred.
He mentioned that Yabatech and the Intergenerational Rescue Foundation aimed to bring up innovative opportunities, consolidate revenue, and tap into national and international funding to help address the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria.
