Post-harvest loss is said to continue to strike Nigeria and some other countries that lack technology to process and preserve their agric produce.
For the third year running, Wider Perspectives Limited (WPL) and its partners have pushed a loss prevention scheme across the oil region.
WPL has thus organised the annual ‘Post-Harvest Loss Prevention Forum’ and the third edition has been held in most states of the Niger Delta in collaboration with Nigerian Stored Products Research Institutes with the theme, ‘Exploring Opportunities through Post-Harvest Loss Prevention.’
The partners believe that awareness with advocacy is the starting point. They also believe that addressing food loss will require mindset shifts by all stakeholders. Also, food manufacturers and retailers will need to see food loss as a result of inefficiencies and missed opportunities across the value chain – production, procurement, research and development, the supply chain, and sales.
They say achieving zero loss in Agriculture is not feasible, but that the loss can be reduced. Participants at the forum cut across Africa, Asia, America and Europe with over 187 participants who attended virtually through the live-streamed channel and event App.
In her welcome remarks, the Managing Director of Wider Perspectives Limited, Edughom Hanson, disclosed that the idea to organise the forum was borne out of the need to work with stakeholders in the agric sector the world to promote adoptable pro-active measures to prevent post-harvest losses and create opportunities for business establishment, growth, and increased contribution to the Nation’s GDP.
She said opportunities abound in the sector, and that this can be harnessed through adopting techniques to reduce/eliminate post harvest losses especially in the face of Nigeria’s increasing population which puts huge pressure on food resources.
Kalada Apiafi, chairman of Wider Perspectives Limited, quoted Mckinsey & Company on reducing food loss with an estimated $600 billion worth of food lost during or just after harvest. He said up to 40 percent of the world’s food is lost or wasted every year. He recommended for deliberate stakeholders collaboration to continually create awareness and build waste management capacities.
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In her intervention titled ‘Techniques in Reducing Post-Harvest Loss: Exploring Opportunities’, Idorenyin Nwaehujor, zonal coordinator of Nigerian Stored Products Research Institutes, highlighted some techniques developed by her institute to help curb post-harvest loss in-country such as solar power dryer, and hermetic storage.
Representative of Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Lolade Awogbade, Head, Sustainability, shared with participants various programmes designed by DBN to support development of the agric value chain.
The forum keynote address was delivered by Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, Founder/CEO, Coldhubs Limited. His remarks focused on exploring opportunities through post-harvest loss prevention. Some of the opportunities recommended to be explored within the value chain were: development of packing lines for food processing, food packaging facilities, development of storage facilities like cooling elements, logistics involving transportation of produce and e-commerce activities.
There was also a technical session where experts harped on same theme the panellists included Olubukola Odeyemi (board member, post- harvest education foundation-PEF); Tabi Karikari (chief agro-industry officer, African Development Bank Group, Nigeria); Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu (CEO, Cold Hubs Limited). It was moderated by Adaobi Umeh, lead, economic analyst, Wider Perspectives Limited.
Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development represented, was represented by John Ikawu, Assistant Chief Agric Officer, who gave an update on FG’s initiatives, plans and strategies to curb postharvest loss reduction.
Lasbry Aka, Ag. Lead, Special Projects & Conferences at WPL, told newsmen that WPL, in collaboration with Bayelsa State Government through the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Investment, would organise the ‘3rd Business Linkages Forum’, Yenagoa, later in the month. He said the drive would continue at the 6th Akwa Ibom SME Roundtable in collaboration with Akwa Ibom State Government, also in November.
