THE Federal Government has unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (Ni-PHaST), to ensure a resilient, efficient, and inclusive post-harvest handling and storage system that reduces losses of produce. This is disclosed in a statement by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head, Information Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on Sunday in Abuja.
Ikemefuna said the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, stated this at the Nigeria Legacy Programme organised by the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal.
The minister said NiPHaST also aimed to enhance incomes as well as achieve food sovereignty. Kyari said that this is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to eradicate poverty, attain food and nutrition security and economic growth as well as reduce post-harvest losses.
He said that the programme would focus on household storage technologies, community-level warehouses, cold rooms, and strategic national silos managed through public-private partnerships, among others. The minister said it would ere ate robust investment in the storage value chain in terms of processing, preservation, marketing, cli-metal silos and cold rooms, among others. He said that that the initiative would unlock private sector investment, strengthen market confidence, and expand storage infrastructure. Kyari said that it would also improve agricultural exports, nutrition, household sales, job opportunities, farmer’s income, and wealth as well as achieved food import substitution in the agricultural ecosystem.