The Federal Government is considering a shift towards modern community-based grain storage facilities as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s estimated $10 billion annual losses from post-harvest waste and improve food security.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Tuesday during a panel session on Productivity Revolution for Growth at the ongoing 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#32), organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in Abuja.
Kyari said Nigeria loses between 15 and 20 per cent of its grains, including rice, maize and millet, while losses involving perishable produce such as tomatoes, pepper, onions, fruits and vegetables could reach between 60 and 70 per cent, depending on the season.
He described reducing post-harvest losses as one of the most immediate opportunities for improving food security, increasing farmers’ incomes and making more food available to consumers without necessarily expanding cultivated land.
“We lose almost about $10 billion annually on post-harvest losses,” the minister said.
He explained that grain losses remained significant despite the relatively longer shelf life of cereals compared with perishable agricultural products.
“About 15 to 20 per cent on grains, and you can see grains that are hard, and you probably think we will not lose much of that, but we lose on grains, on cereal, rice, maize, and so on and so forth, millet,” he said.
The situation, according to him, is more severe for fruits and vegetables, which are particularly vulnerable to inadequate storage, transportation challenges and unfavourable weather conditions.
“Tomato, pepper, onion, and other fruits and vegetables, we lose some of that as high as 60 to 70 per cent depending on the season,” Kyari said.
He identified tomatoes as particularly vulnerable because of their short shelf life and the impact of hot weather, which accelerates deterioration when appropriate preservation facilities are unavailable.
14 concessioned silos nearly comatose
The minister also raised concerns over the poor performance of government-owned grain storage infrastructure, revealing that only three of the 17 silo complexes concessioned to private operators were performing.
Kyari said the Federal Government had constructed 33 silo complexes over the years, with 17 subsequently concessioned to private operators. However, most of the facilities under the concession arrangement were reportedly no longer functioning effectively.
“The government had concessioned 17 out of the 33 silos that it had built over a period of time, but I’ll tell you that out of the 17, only three have performed. All the 14 are almost comatose for the past, I believe, since when it was concessioned,” he said.
The disclosure raises questions about the effectiveness of existing storage infrastructure and the management arrangements intended to ensure that public investments deliver the desired benefits to farmers and the wider agricultural value chain.
Kyari attributed part of the problem to the distance between farming communities and major storage facilities, noting that some agricultural production centres were located more than 100 kilometres from available silos.
Such distances, he explained, increase transportation costs and make it difficult for farmers to move their produce to storage facilities, particularly in rural areas where road infrastructure and logistics services remain inadequate.
He argued that Nigeria’s storage policy needed to reflect the geographical distribution of agricultural production rather than rely heavily on large-scale facilities that might be inaccessible to many farmers.
The challenge, therefore, extends beyond the number of silos constructed to include their location, operational efficiency, commercial viability and accessibility to farming communities.
FG considers modern community silos
To address these shortcomings, Kyari said the Federal Government was considering the development of smaller, modern grain storage systems closer to farming communities.
The proposed facilities would complement existing large-scale silos and be designed according to the production capacity and storage requirements of individual communities.
“We need not only the huge silo systems, but we need community silo systems,” he said.
The minister explained that the proposed model would draw inspiration from traditional grain storage practices, incorporating modern technology to improve preservation, ventilation and energy efficiency.
He cited grumbu, a traditional Hausa grain-storage structure, as a possible starting point for developing storage facilities adapted to local conditions.
Under the proposed approach, modernised community silos could have capacities of 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 or 10,000 tonnes, depending on the scale of agricultural production in the areas they serve.
Kyari also emphasised the need to incorporate renewable energy into the design and operation of the facilities, particularly solar power, to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources.
“We have renewable energy that we must take advantage of because we have to have that in our budget,” he said.
If effectively implemented, community-based storage systems could reduce the distance farmers travel to preserve their produce, improve access to storage services and limit losses associated with inadequate preservation.
However, the success of the proposal will depend on proper implementation, regular maintenance, affordable user charges and arrangements that enable farmers and cooperatives to access the facilities when required.
The availability of storage infrastructure alone may not eliminate post-harvest losses, as effective preservation also requires suitable handling practices, reliable transportation, processing capacity and access to markets.
Food security beyond production
Beyond reducing agricultural waste, Kyari said the government was broadening its approach to food security by placing greater emphasis on nutrition and dietary diversity.
He explained that food security should not be measured solely by the volume of food produced or its availability in markets, but also by whether households can afford and consume nutritious food capable of supporting healthy growth and development, particularly among children.
The approach reflects the understanding that increased agricultural production does not automatically translate into better nutrition if households lack access to balanced diets.
The minister also disclosed that food security coordination had received greater national attention through the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit, which brings together relevant sectors, including agriculture, water resources, environment and health, to address interconnected food production, nutrition and public health challenges.
The cross-sectoral approach recognises that food availability and nutrition outcomes are influenced by several factors, including agricultural productivity, water supply, environmental conditions, household purchasing power and access to healthcare.
Smallholder farmers remain central
Kyari further identified the fragmented structure of Nigerian agriculture as a major constraint to productivity, noting that between 85 and 90 per cent of farmers in the country were smallholders.
According to him, the average farm size is approximately 0.6 hectares, equivalent to 6,000 square metres, highlighting the small-scale nature of much of the country’s agricultural production.
The predominance of smallholder farmers presents challenges for mechanisation, storage, processing, access to finance and the aggregation of produce for commercial markets.
It also reinforces the need for agricultural infrastructure and support programmes that reflect the realities of small-scale producers rather than focus exclusively on large commercial farms.
Improving access to community storage facilities, strengthening cooperatives and expanding processing and distribution networks could help smallholders preserve more of their harvests and improve their bargaining position in the market.
With Nigeria losing an estimated $10 billion annually to post-harvest waste, addressing these structural weaknesses could help increase the quantity of food reaching consumers while improving farmers’ earnings.
The proposed community silo initiative, alongside better management of existing storage facilities and a stronger focus on nutrition, represents a potential step towards reducing waste. Its ultimate impact, however, will depend on whether the government can translate the proposals into accessible, properly maintained infrastructure that meets farmers’ needs.