Panelists at Agrofood brainstorm on how to end post harvest losses, boost food security

Nigeria is currently navigating a severe food security crisis, with projections indicating it will be among the world’s top hunger hotspots in 2026, rather than a top producer of food. The country is experiencing an unprecedented hunger crisis driven by economic hardship, conflict, and climate shocks. A 2026 report by Action Against Hunger ranked Nigeria at the top of 10 countries with the most critical hunger conditions, with over 31 million people affected. Panelists led by the moderator, Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director General/ Chief Executive officer, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)brainstorm on achieving world class food security in Nigeria at 11th edition of Agro food organised by fairtrade Messe, in conjunction with its local partner Modion Communications, write Editor Gentechnews

 Tony Nwakaegho.

Dr. Chinyere Almona, Director General/ Chief Executive officer, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) set the tune by highlighting that Nigeria has the market for food production, but its population is putting a lot of pressure on the food system, adding at despite having over 70 million arable land, we are still struggling with fragmented value chains and post harvest losses of about 40 t0 50 percent and urged the members of the panelists which includes: HE, Ambassador  Kingdom of the Netherland,  Bengt Van Loosdrecht, Chief Kola Akosile, National Exco Officer Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the President, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye through an interactive conversation to speak on the topic ‘achieving world class food security in Nigeria’.

The moderator asked what is the most critical situation that is stopping Nigeria from achieving food security?

Chief Kola Akosile, National Exco Officer Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) said that we have security issues and the farmers can no longer go to the farms. There is the issue of funding, quality of equipment, quality of seeds among others.

HE, Ambasador  Kingdom of the Netherland,  Bengt Van Loosdrecht, noted that there was an infrastructure  issue, water irrigation in the past but no more, access to market, quality of seeds and post harvest losses from where food is produced to where food is consumed.

The President, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Otunba Francis Meshioye, highlighted that there is no good storage system for post harvest losses, whereas there should be a structure from producer to transportation and the consumer. We need logistics and technology as well as how to store and preserve the products. We still have unnecessary middle men that hike the cost and fragmented value chain. Where should the farmers take their product to the factory? If they have a high yield crop and take it to the bank to get a loan so what skill do they have to support the agricultural system?

Commenting on how partnership can accelerate technology transfer, Meshioye explained that the transition from production can bring together technology and how to use it more efficiently as to what to plant, how to plant, how to  use pesticide  and how to carry out irrigation.

On his part, HE, Ambasador  Kingdom of the Netherland,  Bengt Van Loosdrecht cited the success story of the Netherland small holder farmers who have good seed with a large portion of land, but want finance for it. He harped on the need to have a financing mechanism that requires a tailor made approach to the farmer from the finance system to the quality of the organization of fund like cooperatives. Technology is needed for the climate and market by creating awareness and sensitizing the farmers. In the village we need to have a cooperative and clusters that are bankable.

Speaking on why  post harvest losses are very high in Nigeria and the investment that will be required for the post harvest losses, Akosile said that we should have farm gate processing, like cassava processing, drying it and moving the cassava as clips.

He added that farmers should have clusters , solar power and innovative ways to get to the farm processing effectively and working to get quality input to the factory, noting that the farmers can transport more using solar powered storage systems.

Commenting on the question as to how Nigeria can accelerate the mechanization process for small holder farmers, the MAN President noted that one thing is to have mechanized farming  and the ability to use solar power and get a support system. So if you don’t have skill, we will need the off takers and also the public to invest in it. Then the off takers will take the product to the hub for easy transportation. If you have a high yield crop in the storage, deposit it and get a receipt, take it to the bank to get a loan. We need to create an environment to attract investors to the Agricultural space. We need to have a logistic hub in private public partnership to help to do that. We cannot sustain double digit interest for any business. We should have a specialized fund because any ecosystem that deals with double digit is not ready to develop that business.

According to him, in three years in Ethiopia they have hubs where farmers deposit products and get receipts for it and then go to the bank with the receipt  to get loans, adding that it will encourage the farmers to do more, get more land and crops to create an environment to attract investors to the agric space .

Akosile revealed that only five percent of financing in Nigeria goes to Agriculture while commercial banks only offer high interest rates, and recommended that we need to have bonds for Agric, Capital market, inventory finance and so many financial options that will make funding in Agriculture affordable.

 Speaking on how to make partnership more effective with private and public, Akosile hinted that there is a need to understand what the partnership entails and then find a way to make the farmers to be part of the process because most of this partnership are in the states and multinationals.

Speaking on how to derisk the sector so as to be more bankable, Loosdrecht noted that derisking need a level of honesty and we need to have different guarantee funds as well as farmers borrowing cooperatives where they can put some of their money and borrow from them. He added that we need to mechanize because we need young people to come to the city to work in the land.

Some of the audiences made suggestion as to how to mitigate the post harvest losses and boost food security by reducing the gestation period of some plant and for the government to ask the CBN to reduce the interest rate while researchers will go on to produce seeds that will reduce the gestation period.

They called for the involvement of youth  and the deployment of technology that will making farming attractive to them.

The panelists were unanimous that to stop post harvest losses there is a need for  various fundings, quality of equipment, quality of seeds, product hubs, irrigation system for all season, accelerating technology transfer, cooperative, clusters, enabling environment, public private partnership, and good storage system to be structured from producer to transportation and the consumer.