Agriculture involves cultivating crops and raising livestock to provide food for humans and animals, supply raw materials for industries, and market agricultural produce. It remains a cornerstone of the Nigerian economy, offering gainful employment and livelihoods for about 70% of the population.
A key component of agriculture is crop production, primarily practiced by peasant farmers and, more recently, a few semi-large-scale farmers.
However, crop production in Nigeria faces significant challenges, as it relies heavily on small-scale farmers using crude implements, fragmented land holdings, low-yielding crop varieties, poor cultural practices, and limited access to credit.
These factors collectively result in low output and productivity, insufficient to meet local consumption needs, supply raw materials for industries, or support exports.
Numerous biotic factors, such as insect pests and diseases, further reduce crop productivity by attacking crops in the field and during storage post-harvest. Despite this low productivity, inadequate storage technologies and facilities contribute to postharvest losses of at least 30% of Nigeria’s annual food production.
It is estimated that of the 10 million tonnes of food grains produced annually in Nigeria, about 1.5–2 million tonnes are lost due to poor storage. Beyond losses in weight and quantity, there are also declines in product quality.
Thus, sustainable food production in Nigeria is hindered not only by low productivity but also by the lack of adequate storage and processing facilities.
The overarching goal of storage is to ensure food security for the nation, encompassing self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and the availability and affordability of safe, high-quality food in adequate quantities year-round for daily consumption and emergency reserves.
Read Also: 12 Medicinal Health Benefits of Oats (Avena Sativa)
Defining Stored Agricultural Produce and Products
Stored agricultural produce refers to harvested crops brought home by farmers and stored without processing. In contrast, stored agricultural products are harvested produce that have been processed into finished forms.
Examples of stored produce include maize grains, sorghum, millet, cowpea, yams, cassava, and groundnut. Examples of stored products include biscuits, maize flour, yam flour, cassava flour, bread, beer, and malt.
Read Also: 12 Medicinal Health Benefits of Emilia Sonchifolia (lilac tasselflower)
Significance of Storing Agricultural Produce for Food Security and Economy
The preservation and protection of surplus agricultural commodities is a time-honored practice. The primary aim of storage is to achieve food security, a deliberate policy to ensure a population’s freedom from hunger and malnutrition while making food available at affordable prices for all. Agricultural commodities are preserved in storage for the following reasons:
1. Price Stabilization in Agricultural Markets: Agricultural commodities are typically abundant during harvest, driving prices down, but become scarce over time, leading to price increases. Storing commodities helps regulate prices, ensuring affordability for the majority while providing farmers with fair financial returns for their efforts and investments.
2. Ensuring National and Domestic Food Security: It is not always feasible for families or nations to consume all agricultural produce in a single season. Therefore, excess produce must be preserved safely for future use, ensuring a consistent food supply for farming families and citizens throughout the year.
3. Supporting Industrial Raw Materials and International Trade: Agricultural commodities serve as raw materials for agro-based industries and as merchandise for international trade. Their year-round availability ensures the sustainability of these industries and trade.
For instance, Nigerian breweries rely on a consistent supply of sorghum grains for producing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Commodities like palm kernels, cocoa, coffee beans, kolanut, and maize are vital for international trade, with importers expecting consistent availability in good condition.
4. Maintaining a Country’s Strategic Food Reserve: A nation’s strategic food reserve, consisting of food grains and other commodities, acts as insurance against famine caused by natural disasters, poor harvests due to pest infestations, adverse weather, drought, floods, war, or communal clashes.
When such crises occur, stored commodities are released systematically to meet urgent food needs, with reserves replenished regularly as quantities diminish.
5. Enhancing a Nation’s International Agricultural Influence: Nations often assist neighboring countries facing natural or man-made disasters that threaten food security.
Developed countries leverage these opportunities to enhance their global standing and earn goodwill. For example, Ethiopia and Eritrea, prone to drought, have frequently benefited from food donations.
6. Preserving Seeds for Future Planting: Farmers traditionally select seeds from the previous year’s harvest, carefully preserving and storing them for use in the following planting season.
Do you have any questions, suggestions, or contributions? If so, please feel free to use the comment box below to share your thoughts. We also encourage you to kindly share this information with others who might benefit from it. Since we can’t reach everyone at once, we truly appreciate your help in spreading the word. Thank you so much for your support and for sharing!
Frequently Asked Questions
We will update this section soon.