Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has affirmed that for food security, affordability, and accessibility to be attained, Nigeria must resolve the wastage recorded by farmers which accounts for 40 per cent due to lack of storage facilities among other challenges hampering food security in the nation.
Obasanjo stated this at the opening of the three days agrofood and plastprintpack Nigeria Exhibition organised by fairtrade Messe yesterday in Lagos.
Obasanjo noted that policy sustainability and continuity that will foster technological development in agriculture will guarantee the availability of food security, nutrition, and food accessibility which are factors that should be taken into consideration.
According to him, the nation must be intentional and ensure that agricultural business is maintain policy sustainability and continuity that will foster technological development in Agriculture that will guarantee the availability of food security and availability for the nation.
The former president remarked that the Agrofood Exhibition should be sustained to encourage SMEs, as it brings partnerships for farmers, processors, marketers, exporters, quality assurance and equipment suppliers, finance and policy coordination, and research innovation and technology.
He, however, said, “Availability of finance at a reasonable cost should be encouraged by the government to make food available and accessible.
The managing director,Fair Trade Messe, Paul Maerz, noted that Nigeria’s investments in food and packaging technology are soaring, positioning the nation as a key player in Africa, trailing only South Africa and leading before Egypt.
He quoted Euromonitor International, which states that, Nigeria’s food production has witnessed a remarkable surge of 40 per cent in recent years, from €26 billion in 2016 to €36 billion in 2020, projected to rise by 48 per cent between 2021 and 2024, from €42 billion to €63 billion.
He, however, asserted that Nigerian imports of printing and paper processing technology continue to surge, securing Nigeria’s position as the second-largest investor in sub-Saharan Africa.
He pointed out that “the rapid population growth from 216 million in 2024 to 411 million in 2050 demands sustainable investments in Nigeria’s agrofood and plastprintpack industry, and together, we are poised to meet this challenge head-on.”
On his part, minister of agriculture & food security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, expressed concern over post-harvest losses with estimates suggesting that up to 40 per cent of our agricultural produce is lost annually due to inadequate storage and transportation facilities.
He said, “This alarming statistic represents not only a substantial economic loss to our farmers but also poses a grave threat to food security and nutrition in our nation.”
He added that “as a result, the Nigerian government is committed to fostering partnerships and collaborations with both public and private stakeholders to strengthen the nation’s cold chain networks which encompasses refrigeration, transportation, and storage facilities that will help preserve the quality and nutritional value of agricultural produce from farm.”
