post-harvest food losses |
That
farmers produce more than enough food to go round is a truism which is not
easily realized because millions of people still go to bed on empty stomach
every day.
The spate of technological improvement recorded in food production
has not rubbed off on the populace because a lot of the harvest, up to 75 per
cent, is still wasted. Now, of utmost importance is the mopping up of the
excess food being wasted in view of the ballooning population of the country;
it is also imperative that the amount of money being spent on the sector should
produce commensurable results. But we are worried that all the infrastructures
necessary for preventing all these unnecessary wastages are in place but the
government is not using them.
First is the government-owned Nigerian Stored
Product Research Institute, Ilorin where various solutions have been provided
to tackle the challenges of wastage but which are not being patronized. An
option that has been neglected is the silos constructed by government at a high
cost, which have remained underused up till now.
Another issue is value
addition to farm produce, involving turning raw produce into different
value-added products or primary raw materials for some industries which also
results in preservation of the food and prevents wastage. This may mean setting
apart special loans for the establishment of cottage industries in the
farmsteads in individual or cluster basis.
It is in this wise that we commend
the passage of the cassava flour (mandatory inclusion in flour production) bill,
2016 passed by the senate recently, when finally assented by Mr. President will
help in tackling food wastages.
This step will also help the farmers in
stabilizing prices as against the scarcity and glut cycle that we experience
frequently. It may also be necessary to revive the old Directorate of Food Road
and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) for the opening up of the rural areas so that
food produced in those areas can reach the markets without problem. Finally,
there is need to provide security for farmers in areas with high rate of
kidnapping and herdsmen attacks.
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