Agriculture: Closing-up wide deficits in storage facilities to cushion impacts of avoidable losses
The narratives of the profile of agriculture in Nigeria still attract more of sympathetic consideration, than a formidable productivity which is the desideratum for the Country’s economy. As the reality of diversification has become so pronounced and non-negotiable for the Country to survive the condition of wobbling inconsistencies which are products of the impacts of large dependence on oil and its attendant vagaries, agriculture has remained a central notation which readily bears the reckoning of recognition as a sector upon which the thrust of diversifying the Country’s economy would pragmatically find expression.
Although, the place of agriculture may not be disputed as a sector holding potentials across which the extension of the resting pillars of the economy can be stretched over, it is worrying that the sector still remains largely underdeveloped in the Country. The infantile profile of the sector, entangled with depths of facility deficits, has only rendered the agricultural potential of the Country inconsequential to the base of the Country’s economy. Hence, its contribution to economic growth has remained largely insignificant to propel the level of growth needed to boost economic development in the Country.
It is, by all means, evident that the neglect of agriculture over the years which is largely informed by the cheap turn of attention to oil and the associated dominant concentration on its proceeds, have begun to tell its effects on the Country. The vagaries of oil prices have so far brought the Country to a state where instability has become a deforming shut on the economy’s heel. Sliding into recession with sporadic fall in global oil prices have become a character of the Nigerian economy most recently. It is now evident that the Nigerian economy with its mono-based oil driven status is so conditioned to the vagaries of global oil prices, and as such, exposed to the forces of negatives in the trends.
As the waves of global oil prices have come to hit huge blow on the economy recently, the senses of the government appear to have been struck to awake to the reality of the dangers inherent in reposing all eggs in the basket of oil with the seated neglect of other sectors, particularly agriculture where the Country has potentials of comparative advantages. As the need to resuscitate the economy by diversifying the revenue base becomes more demanding, the pronounced significance of taking recourse to agriculture has become centralised. This is indisputable considering the depth of human and natural advantages at the disposal of the Country.
However, it remains apparent that the years of neglect have left huge gaps which call for depths of investment with strategic policy instruments backed with seasoned implementation structures to bridge the wide gap of raising agriculture as one pillar standing firmly among the bases upon which the economy can rest.
It is indisputable that the challenges the sector is presently ridden with, have over the years become so deep seated and far weightier than the ongoing investments channeled into it. Over time, issues of flooding, poor infrastructures, preponderance of crude implements in the production value chain, among others, are long seated challenges frustrating stakeholders in the sector. The poor state of government driven investment to develop mechanisation for large scale productivity, has made mechanised agriculture an unpurchased luxury in the Country.
Issues of environmental hazards and natural disasters, such as floods, drought, erosion, among others, are challenges which have always been with the sector in the Country. Poor infrastructures for the chain of agricultural production along the lines of cultivation, harvests, transportation and storage, have been a major challenge. Huge gaps within the profile of these configurations have made agriculture to remain at the traditional edge of productivity, as the profile of mechanised culture remains very infantile in the Country. Larger percentage of farmers in the Country still fall within the categorisation of traditional practice with challenges of the crudeness, drudgery and tedious processes of local implements and poor storage facilities.
The records of heaps of losses suffered by farmers owing to poor storage facilities in the Country have been noted to be responsible for one of the largest source of wastage in the profile of post-harvest losses. Last month, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, in his lamentation over the inadequacy of storage facilities for farm products in the Country, had noted that the gaps was responsible for the loss of about 60 per cent of farm produce before consumption. The Minister who spoke in Benin City, Edo State, at the 7th Biennial Retreat of Weppa Wanno Pyramid Club of Nigeria with the theme: ‘Security Challenges in our Communities: the Way Forward,’ was quoted: “I have taken my stand that we should not copy Americans, who are racing to space because they have conquered hunger. They have taken care of basic infrastructure. If we copy them, we will miss our way. We have to go back to the basics. To me, that basis is rural development, ensuring that we create the environment to encourage value-adding industries, and build those value changes. We should ensure that we have storage facilities; processing facilities that would reduce, if not eliminate, post-harvest losses which is currently put at 50 to 60 percent depending on what type of commodities.
“So, every 10,000 tonnes of food we produce, we lose 6,000, it doesn’t get to the market and for me, I don’t think that increasing the number of acreages is the solution because if you increase the number of acreages to produce more, you are also invariably, geometrically increasing the percentage of post-harvest losses.”
It is lamentable that amidst the shortfalls in productivity, gaps of facility deficits still clog up to worsen the performance of the sector. The need for the Government to intervene in closing gaps of such deficits remains sacrosanct to encourage stakeholders, particularly the small holders in the sector. In a seeming good reflection, the Federal Government on Tuesday began the distribution of improved food storage facilities to farmers in 19 States of the Federation in a bid to enhance food availability for the teeming Nigerian population. It was gathered the distribution of the facilities to farmers was borne by available data of lack of preservatives system and storage facilities by many farmers which had led to costly food wastage with deterring narratives to the concerned farmers over time. According to report, the facilities distributed in the first phase include: 1,000 iced-fish boxes; 600 NSPRI hermetic steel drums; 120 NSPRI smoking kiln and 18 parabolic solar dryers among others. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe who flagged off the distribution for farmers, vulnerable women and youths at the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, had noted that the gesture would go a long way towards improving food production and productivity that would boost the socio-economic growth of the Country. According to the Permanent Secretary who was Represented at the event by the Director, External Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Frank Kuala, the government has identified a poor post-harvest management system among farmers as the major factor that impeded the growth of agricultural development in the country.
He was quoted, “Post-harvest losses remain one of the major problems of the Nigerian agricultural sector as food losses due to the poor-harvest technologies have potential effects on food security and nutrition and these causes shortage of food supply, availability, access and utilisation. Access to improved storage systems and technology is a perfect strategy in reducing food losses both at the harvest, home and market. The quest for enhanced food security in Nigeria is the major target of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and it is continually making efforts in the areas of skills development and empowerment of Nigerian farmers to improve production and productivity. The distribution of these facilities to vulnerable women and youths as an incentive to improve their productivity and livelihood is worthy of emulation by other institutions.”
The Executive Director of the NSPRI, Dr Patricia Pessu, had in her note said, “We also recognize that there are several vulnerable women and young people whose lives would be positively impacted if they had access to some of our innovation. We are confident that these facilities will boost the productivity of hordes of women involved in agricultural activities in rural areas. Also, by providing vulnerable women and young people with a decent livelihood, we trust that these facilities will not only help to ease their burdens but set them on the path of enhanced economic productivity.”
It is however important to state that while the efforts may be commendable, it is too infinitesimal to the need in the sector. Hence, the provisions to the extent of its insignificant character to satisfying the demands of storage facilities in the sector, require that the Federal Government scale up its intervention to give close resemblance to bridging up the wide gap of storage facility deficits which have continued to occasion wastage that are counterproductive to boosting growth in the sector. As it is known that the deficits in storage facilities have been a deterring factor to hard working farmers who are willing to enlarge their input and cultivation span, but have been deterred by such possibilities of losses due to insufficient and/or poor storage facilities, it is pertinent for the Federal Government and the component States to correspondingly put up complementary measures for interventions to cover up the huge gap in facility deficits.
The acute food shortage the Country is presently grappling with, which is largely unsavoury, holds some bearings among other factors, to the deficits in storage facilities. The impacts of this shortfall portend depths of socio-economic and political disturbances. It is thus, paramount that strategic measures be put in place for special interventions to shrink by all possible means, such strains as poor storage facilities in the sector, which are significant to boosting productivity and attraction of investors to enlarge their coast of operation.
