Nigeria can achieve long-term food security by establishing modern storage infrastructure and expanding accessible credit frameworks for small-scale farmers. The Executive Director of the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Professor Lateef Sanni, stated this on Wednesday during the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) 15th Faculty of Agriculture Lecture and 65th anniversary celebration in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Delivering a paper titled “From Surplus to Scarcity: Bridging Storage Gaps and Agricultural Practices for Food Security,” Professor Sanni noted that the lack of adequate preservation networks remains a primary driver of severe post-harvest losses across Nigeria. 

This deficit significantly reduces aggregate food supplies and diminishes household incomes for rural farmers during peak harvest seasons. To reverse the trend, the NSPRI Director urged the Federal Government to deploy targeted fiscal incentives, modern processing technologies, and localised preservation systems near agricultural production clusters.

The academic presentation drew support from top state executives, institutional administrators, and agricultural stakeholders. The Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who was represented at the event by Mr Olubi Adejobi, agreed that robust storage infrastructure is vital to guaranteeing affordable food access and lowering commodity inflation. 

Furthermore, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Olanrewaju Adeleke, represented by Mr Hamidu Tadese, noted that inadequate storage structures are compounded by highly inefficient rural transportation networks nationwide.

To build resilient agricultural value chains, the lecture recommended the immediate expansion of public-private partnerships, dedicated microcredit channels, and smallholder processing hubs. 

Earlier in the event, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Adedayo Ajayi, and the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Professor Adebayo Bamire, represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Lasisi Umoru, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to transforming the institution into a prominent centre for food production. 

The anniversary event concluded with the presentation of special merit awards to Professor Sanni, Professor Akeem Tijani, Mr Olanrewaju Adeleke, and Sadiq Oyindamola for their contributions to agricultural research.

Source: NAN
Image Credit:  Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI)