The Federal Government has unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), a flagship initiative designed to reduce Nigeria’s estimated ₦3.5 trillion annual postharvest losses and strengthen national food security.
Speaking at the Nigeria Legacy Programme during the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, said the programme would revolutionize food storage and handling through household storage technologies, community warehouses, cold rooms, and strategically managed national silos under public-private partnerships.
Kyari noted that the huge losses disproportionately affect smallholder farmers, stressing that “it is not just produce going to waste, it is opportunity lost and livelihoods destroyed.”
He added that NiPHaST aims to stabilize food prices, ensure availability and affordability of staples, and promote food sovereignty.
The minister explained that the initiative will drive investments across the storage value chain, covering processing, preservation, packaging, marketing, and climate-smart infrastructure such as metal silos and cold rooms.
He emphasized that the programme would unlock private sector capital, restore market confidence, and expand storage capacity nationwide.
Kyari further called for stronger international collaboration, saying that transforming postharvest systems will safeguard farmer livelihoods, boost agribusiness, and position Nigeria as a major food supplier in West Africa.
Dignitaries at the Dakar forum included Jigawa State Governor Mal. Umar A. Namadi, Minister of Livestock Development Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) Mohammed Abu Ibrahim, and President of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, among others.
