EDITORIAL- Reducing post-harvest food losses

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.