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– Silos Left Idle, Concessionaires in Default as Storages Go to Waste
– New NiPHaST Programme Aims to Slash Losses and Boost Food Security
– President Tinubu’s Agricultural Agenda Leverages Storage Infrastructure Reform
Nigeria is estimated to lose about US $10 billion annually due to post-harvest losses largely tied to inadequate storage and inefficient supply chains, according to Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. Speaking during a meeting between the Federal Ministry and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Kyari revealed that many of the country’s 17 silo complexes, which had been concessioned to private operators, are either idle or underperforming. Only Flour Mills of Nigeria currently meets contractual performance standards; many other facilities suffer from abandonment, lack of maintenance, vandalism, and failure to meet payment obligations.
To address this massive loss and improve food security, the federal government is rolling out a multipronged intervention. It has launched the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), focusing on enhanced storage solutions—such as household-level technologies, community warehouses, cold rooms, and strategic silos managed via public-private partnerships. The government will reclaim and revitalize idle silo facilities and enforce stricter compliance for concessionaires to ensure operational effectiveness. This initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda.
