The Federal Government has unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), an ambitious initiative aimed at building a resilient, efficient, and inclusive post-harvest handling and storage system across the country.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced the programme at the Nigeria Legacy Programme, organized by the Africa Food Systems Forum in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in Dakar, Senegal.
Kyari said the initiative is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes poverty eradication, food and nutrition security, and sustainable economic growth.
According to him, NiPHaST will focus on household-level storage technologies, community warehouses, cold rooms, and strategic national silos operated through public-private partnerships. It will also strengthen the storage value chain by boosting investment in processing, preservation, packaging, marketing, and the deployment of climate-smart technologies such as metal silos and cold storage facilities.
“The programme is designed to unlock private sector investment, strengthen market confidence, and expand storage infrastructure across the country,” the Minister stated.
Kyari disclosed that Nigeria loses an estimated ₦3.5 trillion annually to postharvest inefficiencies, a burden that falls disproportionately on smallholder farmers. He stressed that NiPHaST would significantly reduce these losses while creating opportunities for agribusiness, rural development, and economic resilience.
