The decrease of post-harvest loss (PHL) of perishables, which is essential and would benefit Nigeria and the greater African economy, has been demanded by stakeholders as part of efforts to strengthen the agricultural commodity value chains.
They pointed out that agriculture is perhaps the most significant sector in the Nigerian economy because it provides raw materials for Micro, Small and Medium Sized Businesses, employs 60% of the workforce in Nigeria, including many rural women, and contributes close to 30% of the GDP.
They announced this at the just concluded eighth International Agrofood and Plastics Packaging Expo & Conferences 2023 in Lagos.
The minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, said: “given the global economic disparities, high market requirements in terms of quality standards, increasing competition, constantly changing customer demand, it is paramount for Nigeria to have a robust and innovative strategy for addressing cold chain bottlenecks and to remain globally competitive.”
He stated that the results of this cold chain submission and exhibition are favorable for the welfare of Nigeria and Africa, with the intention of addressing post-harvest losses (PHL), which have been identified as one of the major issues affecting our agricultural sector in Nigeria and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
