A major global issue is the provision of adequate food for the ever increasing global population. Africa has been identified as having the needed massive land capacity to meet this need if well harnessed. With the directed attention to Africa, Nigeria thus being its largest economy and population alongside landmass and water body has a major role to play in driving food security.
During the recent International exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria organized by Agrofoods and Plastprintpack on the importance of adequate food processing and packaging as a solution to curbing post-harvest loss and food wastage, AgroNigeria interacted with the stakeholders on ground to obtain their input as regards how to upscale agriculture in Nigeria and drive food security.
Mrs. ADEJUMO YETUNDE, Lagos State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
We believe we can cut down food wastage through good processing practice and the Ministry of Agriculture is prepared to increase the level of awareness on food processing and packaging. We have called on companies involved in the manufacturing of these technologies to find a way of getting them to the farmers at an affordable rate, because farmers are ready to purchase these technologies.
Some of the farmers want to go into full production as they have realised that, selling at the farm gate won’t help them. Hence, they want to practice the ‘farm to table’ option that we advocate. We are encouraging the major companies to give farmers the input needed as some of the farmers have started food processing. Some no longer sell raw cassava; instead, they process it into garri, fufu amongst others.
BOHUMIL HAMRSMID – Economic & Commercial Representative of the Embassy of the Czech Republic
Nigeria has a good weather to sustain agriculture as well as land and the needed end users too. However, the loss that comes after harvest is enormous, as farmers lack the technology to process their produce. My recommendation will be increased effort and investment to facilitate agricultural produce and proper processing infrastructure to ensure enough food on the table for the fast growing population.
I think Nigeria moving from oil based economy to an agricultural based economy is a very good idea as agriculture has been in existence before the discovery of crude oil. You cannot rely on oil forever, as oil will go dry sooner or later.
PATRICK LIBERTON – Technical Director, Kaldi Africa Limited
The Nigerian economy is fast growing, especially with the diversification from oil to agriculture. And there is so much investment in the agricultural sector now as the farm produce are been exported to other countries. But there is room for improvement in both processing and packaging, which poses a major challenge to the sector.
If electricity and other key infrastructure are put in place, it will enable farmers to acquire technologies to use for both processing and packaging as well as easy transportation of the produce. The power issue makes Nigerian products very expensive because it is a generator powered economy.
TUNDE AROWOSAFE, Assistant Director News, NTA, Ibadan Network Center
Food processing is a critical component of the agricultural enterprise. This component has been neglected over the years due to poor technology, especially on the part of farmers, hence the huge annual post harvest loss of food produce recorded.
The major requirement to upscale agricultural production in Nigeria, is to provide an enabling environment for farmers to help them process their output to the level for end-users an final consumers
EBERHARD WEISS- Senior Vice President Technical, BOSCH
As a company geared towards proving a global solution to help people and keep the planet alive, food processing and packaging is one of the areas we have found out that needs major improvement.
In some countries, 60 percent of farms produce between farm and table is lost or spoilt and this causes harm to the people, as a result of poor processing and packaging methods.
Nigeria as a country with major natural and human resource can adopt the needed technology down to the level of the small farmers as a means to tackle food wastage as it works towards increased food production.
PAUL ADEWODUN – McDeal Ventures
Farmers need financial support and when there is a back up financially, they will be able to get the technology required to process and package their farm produce as well as export them.
The government should increase its efforts towards assisting the farmers, because Nigeria cannot continue to depend on oil, as in due time, oil being a finite resource will become depleted and we will have to fall back on agriculture. So, government should give full support to the sector and assist the farmers as well as put in place structures that will encourage more citizens to take up agriculture.
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