The Federal Government has unveiled plans to construct modern silos across farming communities nationwide as part of renewed efforts to reduce Nigeria’s staggering post-harvest losses, estimated at over $10 billion annually.
The initiative, announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, aims to improve food preservation, enhance national food security, and strengthen value chains across the agricultural sector.
Speaking at the launch of the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), Senator Kyari noted that the government is adopting a “community-centered” storage approach to ensure that smallholder farmers who produce most of Nigeria’s food benefit directly from improved post-harvest management systems.
“We are shifting focus from large urban silos to community-level storage facilities that farmers can easily access. This strategy will help reduce waste, stabilize food prices, and empower rural farmers economically,” the Minister stated.
Under the plan, the Ministry will build and rehabilitate silos, warehouses, and cold storage facilities in key producing regions. About 85% of the new storage capacity is expected to be located within farming communities, marking a departure from previous policies that concentrated such infrastructure in urban centers.
Nigeria currently loses billions of naira annually due to poor storage, inadequate processing facilities, and weak value chain systems. Of the 17 strategic silos concessioned to private operators in previous years, only a handful remain operational, leaving much of the infrastructure idle. The government says it will reclaim and revitalise those non-performing facilities while expanding new community-based storage projects through public-private partnerships.
The NiPHaST programme also targets capacity-building for farmers, the promotion of modern storage technologies, and the establishment of community aggregation centers to ensure that produce such as grains, fruits, and vegetables are preserved for longer periods without spoilage.
Experts have welcomed the move, describing it as a timely intervention amid rising food inflation and ongoing challenges of post-harvest waste. However, they caution that success will depend on effective implementation, sustainable funding, and community participation in managing the storage facilities.
If fully executed, the programme could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape helping farmers minimize losses, improve incomes, and contribute to the nation’s drive for food self-sufficiency. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.
