Nigeria loses 50% of farm produce to poor infrastructure – Alabi

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja ABUJA – Founder of Davidorlah Farms, Segun Alabi, has called on the National Assembly to increase funding for agriculture and prioritise investments in storage, transportation and processing infrastructure, warning that Nigeria loses between 45 and 50 per cent of its agricultural produce annually to post-harvest losses. Alabi said Nigeria’s food security challenges could not be addressed through increased production alone without adequate infrastructure to preserve, process and distribute farm produce.

He argued that the huge volume of agricultural produce wasted annually represents lost revenue, employment opportunities and potential export earnings. The entrepreneur made the call while addressing journalists during activities marking the 10th anniversary of Davidorlah Farms, themed, “Davidorlah at 10: A Decade of Growth, A Future of Value Creation in Abuja.” He urged lawmakers to make agricultural infrastructure and value addition priorities in national economic planning, stressing that processing facilities located close to farming communities would reduce waste, create jobs and strengthen rural economies.

“We don’t ask too much from the government. There is no company that can actually thrive without government intervention. What we ask for is to create an enabling environment where business can thrive and to improve infrastructure. Because agriculture without infrastructure would become a catastrophe,” he said. Alabi maintained that Nigeria’s major agricultural challenge was not necessarily inadequate primary production but the absence of facilities to preserve and process what farmers harvest.

“The problem of Nigeria today is not an issue of primary production, but the issue of infrastructure. Every year, we lose more than 45 to 50 per cent of what we produce per annum. So, if you’re talking about food security, then more focus should be on infrastructure than primary production. If infrastructure is in place, there will be a reduction in post-harvest loss,” he said.

He said establishing processing factories near agricultural production centres would enable farmers and businesses to convert raw commodities into commercially viable products for local consumption and international markets. The Davidorlah Farms founder also expressed the ambition to see Nigerian agricultural products gain wider acceptance in foreign markets through improved processing, packaging and quality standards.

“I am looking for a time when you will leave Nigeria, get to America and Europe, and you will see products from Nigeria. My joy will be that when I’m on Qatar Airways or British Airways, I see produce from Nigeria that has been added value to it and it’s being sold in international markets. That is the dream,” he said. Illustrating the economic implications of post-harvest losses, Alabi said Nigeria produces approximately 1.6 million tonnes of pineapple annually, noting that a 45 per cent loss at an assumed market value of $200 per tonne would translate into substantial economic losses.

He said the consequences of food wastage extended beyond the value of discarded produce to include employment opportunities lost across processing, packaging, transportation and other segments of the agricultural value chain. “Every post-harvest waste or loss is a loss of employment. Because if you had added more value to it, you create more jobs,” he said.

On agricultural financing, Alabi urged the National Assembly to increase budgetary allocations to the sector, citing the 2014 Maputo Declaration, under which African governments committed to allocating at least 10 per cent of their annual national budgets to agriculture. He expressed concern over what he described as inadequate compliance with the commitment, arguing that Nigeria needed to provide sufficient funding to meet the food demands of its growing population.

“If you are targeting 2 per cent or 3 per cent now, if you equate that with the increase in population, you will discover that it cannot match. Government needs to increase budget allocation to agriculture. If it is not well funded, then you have not started at all,” he said. Beyond funding and infrastructure, Alabi raised concerns about food safety, warning that the misuse of agricultural chemicals, excessive fertiliser application and the use of calcium carbide to accelerate fruit ripening could expose consumers to harmful substances.

He said poor compliance with food safety standards could also undermine Nigeria’s agricultural export potential, particularly when products fail to meet international market requirements. He called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to strengthen monitoring and enforcement across agricultural production and food-processing value chains.

Alabi disclosed that food safety and traceability would feature prominently at Davidorlah Farms’ Business Roundtable scheduled for December 17. As part of the company’s renewed commitment to