Nigeria Loses 38 Million Tonnes Of Farm Produce Annually To Post-harvest Waste

Nigeria loses 38 million tonnes of farm produce annually to post harvest waste poor storage, weak logistics and inadequate cold chain infrastructure fuel food insecurity, malnutrition and trillions of naira in economic losses. Nigeria loses an estimated 38 million tonnes of farm produce every year to post-harvest losses and food waste, a crisis that is undermining food security, worsening malnutrition and costing the economy trillions of naira despite rising hunger and food prices. Most of the losses occur between harvest and the retail stage due to inadequate storage facilities, poor packaging, unreliable transportation, weak cold-chain infrastructure and long transit times that cause highly perishable foods such as fruits and vegetables to spoil before reaching consumers. According to recent data cited by the European Union and Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country leads Africa in food waste while millions of Nigerians continue to face acute hunger. Experts say the contradiction reflects major inefficiencies across the agricultural value chain, where large volumes of food are lost even as food inflation continues to strain household budgets. The report notes that post-harvest losses not only reduce farmers’ incomes but also waste valuable resources such as land, water, energy, labour and capital. The shortage of preserved produce contributes to higher food prices, reduced market supply and worsening nutritional outcomes, particularly for children and vulnerable households. Agriculture and logistics stakeholders estimate that the country loses between ₦3.5 trillion and ₦5 trillion annually because of inefficient transport networks, poor rural roads, inadequate storage facilities and multiple bottlenecks that delay the movement of produce from farms to markets. The Federal Government has introduced the Nigeria Post-harvest Systems Transformation Programme NiPHaST to improve harvest handling, storage and supply-chain efficiency. However, experts argue that sustained investment in rural infrastructure, modern storage facilities, cold chain systems and coordinated agricultural policies will be essential to significantly reduce food losses and strengthen national food security.