The Director-General, Feed Nigeria Summit Secretariat, Richard Mbaram has said that it is disheartening that Nigeria looses about 40 to 50 percent of crops produced by farmers. Mbaram said that inadequate storage facilities have been a contributory factor to this ugly situation, which is currently impeding the growth of the agricultural sector. “We are told that we waste or lose between 40 to 50 percent of what is produced particularly as it perishables. If you look critically, the grains are also affected because the actions of microbes and all the fungi bring about the challenges we have around storage facilities”, he said. Mbaram said mycotoxins affects grains, making it impossible for anyone to consume or export, because most of the grains are viable for export, processing and feeding production.
“We understand that the activities of mycotoxins occasions health challenges both for humans and animals that consume them. We have shortfall in production, demands are not being met by the suppliers from the local setting, so we have to import, now we don’t even have the option of import because the target exporting countries have to manage their realities and no long in a position to export”, he added. He noted that the Feed Nigeria Summit would galvanise stakeholders in the agricultural sector to chart a way forward on how to address the challenges of proper food storage, which he said, would reduce post-harvest losses.
Source: Nigerian Tribune
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