NSE: 40% of Nigeria’s Agric Output Lost to Post-harvest Activities

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) yesterday said that there was a need for massive intervention in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to reduce the 40 per cent seasonal post-harvest losses for farm produce in-country.

In a communiqué in Abuja, read by the NSE’s President, Margaret Oguntala, the umbrella body for all engineers in the country, stated that storage facilities, cold chains, and transportation networks were needed to ensure food security.

The release of the communiqué marked the end of the 2024 edition of the NSE’s 57th International Engineering Conference, Exhibition and Annual General Meeting, themed: ‘Sustainable Engineering Solutions to Food Security and Climate Change’.

Besides, the conference observed that about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s agriculture produce is from rural areas, where poor road network hinders transportation and distribution of produce from farms to market, causing spoilage, raising costs and reducing accessibility to consumers.

Oguntala said, “With substantial post-harvest losses representing about 40 per cent of food produced in Nigeria challenging food security, conference underscored the importance of improved storage facilities, cold chains, and transportation networks.

“Such infrastructure reduces food spoilage, ensures better market access, and strengthens the resilience of food supply chains.”

According to her, water scarcity and inadequate irrigation systems are significant constraints to sustainable agriculture in Nigeria, stressing that out of over 84 million hectares of arable land, only about 1.6 million hectares are irrigated, leaving the rest reliant on unpredictable rainfall.

The conference therefore observed the need for advanced water management solutions, including water-efficient irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and wastewater reuse.

The NSE also called for the deployment of solar and wind energy to power irrigation, mechanised farming, and cold storage, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and contributing to sustainable food security.

On how environmental pollution was affecting food production, the organisation said that oil spills have devastating effects on farmland and ecosystems.

It explained that with engineering innovation, oil companies should adopt technology to prevent oil spills and minimise damages to agricultural land in their operational areas. 

The NSE also lauded President Bola Tinubu for the pronouncement to establish the National Engineering and Innovation Fund which is purposely designed to provide grants and resources to engineers and technologists working on solutions for Nigeria’s unique challenges.

According to the engineers, government and relevant stakeholders, including research institutes, food processors, aggregators, exporters among others, should embrace and promote innovations and technologies that enhance agricultural productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emission.

The NSE further recommended that there should be synergy among stakeholders in mitigating climate change at both individual and societal levels.

“Also, relevant government agencies should implement recommendations on different climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies relevant to Nigeria as contained in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report of Conference of Parties (COPs).

“It recommends that government policies should prioritise funding for research, capacity-building, and incentives for adopting sustainable practices in agriculture through Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Bank of Industry (BOI) and other funding bodies,” the NSE added.