Nigeria has unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), a decade-long, $3.5 billion plan to end postharvest losses, stabilise food prices, and economic potential in the agricultural sector.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, during the Africa Food Systems Forum, where he described the initiative as a “definitive answer to food price stability and national food sovereignty.”
Nigeria currently loses an estimated ₦3.5 trillion ($3.5 billion) worth of food every year due to inadequate storage and poor handling.
Senator Kyari said this situation represents “an unacceptable economic haemorrhage,” stressing that the initiative is not just about saving produce but reviving livelihoods and protecting national wealth.
“This is not just produce going to waste,” he said. “It is an opportunity lost and livelihoods destroyed.”
Kyari added that NiPHaST is not simply an agricultural reform but a national investment opportunity, calling on private and global financiers to see it as a profitable and transformative business case.
According to the Minister, NiPHaST plans to expand Nigeria’s national storage capacity from the current 5% to at least 50% of total output, a leap that could yield up to 1,900% in built economic value.
The programme’s framework is multi-tiered, addressing the entire value chain from farm gate to market, with interventions at household, community, and national levels.
The first tier of the programme will empower smallholder farmers to adopt climate-smart storage technologies, such as airtight metal silos, to minimise losses at the grassroots.
The second tier focuses on private sector participation, encouraging investment in cold rooms and community-level warehouses managed by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially for perishable, high-value crops.
At the national level, the government has initiated public-private partnerships to revitalise and concession 33 federal grain silos with a combined capacity of over 1.3 million tonnes.
This move is expected to enhance food reserve management and ensure private sector efficiency in strategic food security operations.
Senator Kyari concluded with a rallying call to development partners and international investors to back NiPHaST’s mission.
“Transforming postharvest systems will secure farmer livelihoods, revive agribusiness confidence, and position Nigeria as a leading food supplier in West Africa,” he said.
The NiPHaST initiative signals Nigeria’s most comprehensive step yet towards building resilient food systems, reducing waste, and creating green jobs through sustainable postharvest management.
Source: Independent News
