Agriculture experts in the country have stated that the worrisome post-harvest food losses in Nigeria can be reduced to the barest minimum with the right technology.
Speaking at the two-day 2025 in-house technical review meeting and productivity awards of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin, Kwara State, on Tuesday, themed “Consulting E-Oracle for Sustainable Post-Harvest Management”, Engineer Professor Abdulganiy Raji of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Engineering, University of Ibadan, said that farmers’ enlightenment and the practical implementation of government policies would also help to reduce post-harvest losses of agricultural produce.
“Food losses we’re experiencing in Nigeria are worrisome. Over 40 per cent of the food is being lost through post-harvest activities, and we need to reduce this,” he said.
The agricultural expert described E-Oracle as a component of various aspects of technology that can be used in post-harvest management, stating, “Because the government policy issue is there, management practices by the institutes, and the readiness of the stakeholders to adopt some of these technologies, as well.”
Professor Raji outlined several advantages of adopting electronic Oracle in reducing losses associated with experiments and post-harvest practices.
He said, “If we adopt that, a lot of other losses that are associated with transportation and handling would also be considerably reduced because we can monitor in real-time and be able to make decisions even when we’re not where the products are.
“It will also enhance research because our research will now be in tune with the international community. We’re not going to be just local. We’ll be using the same facilities, equipment and devices as the international community so that they won’t be throwing our research reports into dustbins just because they’re not in conformity with international standards.
“When we apply this technology, we’ll be able to monitor the quality of our food right from the farm, to the market and up to the dining table, because some of these agricultural products are being tracked.”
For effective implementation, Professor Raji said that agricultural extension workers needed to be trained and retrained to escalate the new technology to farmers in their respective communities.
Professor Raji also raised the alarm about the climate change effects of post-harvest losses, stating that methane emissions from spoilt agricultural produce could harm the ozone layer.
“When you go to refuse dumps, especially in Nigerian markets where agricultural produce is sold, you perceive a certain odour. That odour mainly comes from methane gas being emitted from the rotten produce. And you know methane affects the ozone layer. That’s exactly what we’re talking about. Methane is an agent in climate change issues.”
Earlier, the Executive Director of the NSPRI, Professor Lateef Sanni, said that the theme for the meeting, “Consulting E-Oracle for Sustainable Post-Harvest Management”, is apt for the moment, “considering the significant role of technology and digitisation in boosting agricultural production, managing climate impact and boosting farmers’ income towards ensuring food and nutrition security.”
He noted that the Institute, over the last two years, has made significant strides in pursuing research areas that have positively impacted Nigerian farmers, processors, and other actors along the post-harvest value chain.
Professor Sanni also highlighted that collaborations between the Institute and development partners, state governments, and private sectors have soared, adding that these relationships have led to the signing of over 15 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with universities, research institutes, and private organisations.
“From the University of Ilorin, to Summit University Offa, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), the Institute of Export Operations and Management (IEOM), African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Rivers State University (RSU), and Ghent University (Belgium), African Agricultural Technology Foundation, Association of African Universities, just to mention a few.
“These collaborations have, in no small way, enhanced the capacity of our research personnel through continuous training and retraining. The Institute has also succeeded in leveraging some of our collaborations with industry players into expanding our reach in research innovations and technological development.
“We organised the first Post-Harvest Connect Conference and Exhibition in April 2024, held at the NAF Centre, Abuja. This world-class event (with participants drawn from the UK, Switzerland, the US, Germany and other countries) gathered industry players at all levels, from farmers, financiers, regulatory bodies, civil society, off-takers, etc., into round-table talks on ways of attaining quality food storage and food sufficiency.”
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