Nigeria Records N5 Trillion in Post-Harvest Losses, Threatening Food Security
The Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA) has revealed that Nigeria incurred staggering post-harvest losses estimated between N3.5 trillion and N5 trillion in 2025. The disclosure, made by OTACCWA President Mr. Alexander Isong in Lagos, underscores a critical vulnerability within the nation’s agricultural sector. Isong attributed these catastrophic losses directly to pervasive inefficiencies across major agricultural value chains and a severe deficit in cold chain infrastructure.
The economic impact, as warned by OTACCWA, extends far beyond the farm gate, detrimentally affecting overall national productivity. Quantifying the physical waste, Isong stated Nigeria lost an estimated 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food. This wastage was particularly concentrated in perishable commodities including tomatoes, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, fish, and root crops—all sectors where weak cold chain systems lead to rapid spoilage. He emphasized that these losses represent a complete erosion of prior investments in land preparation, seedlings, fertilizer, labour, irrigation, and transport, devastating farmer incomes and national output.
This alarming data aligns with earlier warnings of a potential severe food crisis. Reports indicated farmers, especially in the North-Central and North-West regions, are facing escalating production costs, insecurity, and massive post-harvest losses, pushing many to consider abandoning agriculture. The situation explains why bandits are not the only threat to food production; systemic failures pose an equal danger. Furthermore, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has projected that approximately 34.7 million Nigerians could face severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season without timely intervention.
The compounding crises highlight why stable policies are key to enabling long-term investment in agricultural logistics. While initiatives like FG inaugurates committees to address sectoral challenges are a step, OTACCWA’s report presents mounting evidence that without urgent and targeted investment in cold chain infrastructure, Nigeria’s food security challenges will intensify. This need for foundational reform is as critical in agriculture as it is in other sectors, akin to calls for Sanwo-olu: tax reforms designed to stimulate economic growth. Just as in Anambra guber: early political focus on issues matters, early and decisive action on cold-chain development is imperative to prevent the annual cycle of monumental waste and safeguard the nation’s food future.
