Nigeria unveils $3.5bn plan to curb post-harvest losses, boost food security

Nigeria has launched the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), a $3.5 billion, decade-long initiative aimed at tackling the country’s huge post-harvest losses, stabilizing food prices, and strengthening national food security.

Speaking at the Africa Food Systems Forum, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari (CON), described the programme as a bold and strategic step to recover the estimated ₦3.5 trillion ($3.5 billion) worth of food lost annually due to poor storage and inefficient post-harvest practices.

“This is not just produce going to waste,” Kyari said. “It is opportunity lost and livelihoods destroyed.”

He explained that the issue transcends agriculture, framing it instead as a “high-yield national business case” with the potential to attract significant investment and deliver transformative economic benefits.

The minister said NiPHaST’s main goal is to raise Nigeria’s current storage capacity from around five per cent to at least 50 per cent of total output, aligning the country with international standards.

According to him, improving storage alone could generate up to 1,900 per cent in built value, underscoring the vast opportunities the initiative presents.

The programme will be implemented in phases across the entire agricultural value chain.

It will begin by empowering smallholder farmers to adopt affordable, climate-smart storage technologies such as airtight metal silos at household and community levels.

The next phase will drive private sector investment in establishing and managing cold rooms and community warehouses, particularly for high-value perishable crops.

At the national level, the government plans to revitalize and concession its 33 strategic grain silos, which currently hold over 1.3 million tonnes of capacity.

This will be achieved through public-private partnerships aimed at improving efficiency, ensuring sustainability, and bringing private sector dynamism into managing the nation’s food reserves.

Senator Kyari concluded with an appeal to global financiers and development partners to support the initiative, noting that transforming post-harvest systems would “secure farmer livelihoods, revive agribusiness confidence, and position Nigeria as a leading food supplier in West Africa.”