ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Government has stated that reducing post-harvest losses of farm produce by just 10 percent would significantly improve food availability and affordability across the country, according to Senator Abdullahi Aliyu, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security.
Okay News reports that Senator Aliyu made the disclosure during the 2026 Post-Harvest Connect and Root, Tuber, and Banana Conference in Abuja on April 23, 2026, where he highlighted the alarming rate of agricultural produce wastage in Nigeria.
“Many of our farmers end up with wastage, some up to 30% to 40% of their produce, and some in the fruit and vegetable segments lose up to 60% to 70%,” Senator Aliyu said. “If we work out a programme to reduce post-harvest loss by even 10%, more food will be available, and this will impact affordability. The more you have, the less the price.”
Nigeria produces more than 60 million tonnes of cassava and yam annually, leading global output of root and tuber crops. However, the minister noted that much of this produce never reaches consumers due to poor storage infrastructure.
The conference was organised by the Nigerian Stored Produce Research Institute (NSPRI) and focused on scaling up post-harvest technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and competitiveness.
Prof. Lateef Sanni, Executive Director of NSPRI, called for stronger collaboration between government, the private sector, and financial institutions. “Government alone cannot do it. We need private sector collaboration, financial institutions, and post-harvest credit facilities. The more we have private sector involvement, the more we are assured of profitable business activities for farmers,” Sanni said.
In March 2026, Nigeria’s headline inflation rose to 15.38 percent from 15.06 percent in February, driven largely by food costs. Urban inflation stood at 3.16 percent month-on-month, while rural areas recorded a sharper increase of 6.73 percent.
