EXECUTIVE Director, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Dr. Patricia Pessu, has said that high cost of food items in the country is due to the alarming rate of wastage of farm produce.
Speaking recently during the opening ceremony of a two-day capacity building on post-harvest management for selected farmers in Kwara state, Dr. Pessu said Nigerian framers produce enough food to feed the nation but high level of wastage contributes to the artificial scarcity and subsequent high cost of food items.
Represented by the Director Research Operations, Dr. Folorunsho Olayemi, the NSPRI boss said there is need to curb wastages of farm produce for farmers to enjoy more profit from their sweat.
“The problem we have in Nigeria is not that we are not producing enough food, the problem is that majority of food we produce get wasted. For example, 30 per cent of grains we produce are destroyed by insects. About 50 per cent of fruits and vegetables we produce are wasted during transportation.
“If these wastages can be reduced, prices of food items will be more affordable, as farmers will have more money.” she said.
She also said that farmers are also entrepreneurs, adding that when a farmer loses some percentages of farm produce, the normal practice will be to increase the price of available produce to cover up loss incurred.
Dr. Pessu said the development made the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in conjunction with the NSPRI to bring farmers together on way forward to curb wastages.
“When you get home, we expect you to share the knowledge you will acquire here with other farmers and that is why we have gathered this caliber of people who can transfer the knowledge gained here to others. And we believe that your two-day interaction will be meaningful not only to you as an individual but we want it to also impact positively on the state and the country as a whole,” she said.
Earlier, the principal consultant of Synergy Impact Consultants Limited, Mr. Lanre Babalola, had said that the workshop is contributing to fulfillment of NSPRI’s mission and vision. He said it is a way to contribute to the development of farmers for an enhanced food productivity and sustainability.
“Production of food crops in Nigeria has increased due to the recent advocacy for the diversification of the economy, but a high percentage is lost due to lack of proper post-harvest management especially the storage and value addition components required to guarantee food security. These losses cause low return for farmers on annual investment, reduced internally generated revenue, low family income and create food scarcity.”
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