In 2017, the then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe stunned Nigerians in a public presentation, when he said that 30% to 40% of the agricultural produce in Nigeria is ultimately wasted.
The event was the kick-off of Nigeria's Yam Export program. His words were "We actually overproduce food in Nigeria; 30% to 40% of some of the food we produce is wasted"
Earlier in 2016, Youssef Zitouni, the then Sales Manager, North West & Central Africa Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Danfoss had while unveiling Danfoss Company in Nigeria which held at the Eko Hotel Convention Center told his audience that Nigeria wastes $750 billion worth of food yearly. According to Zitouni, while Nigeria wastes 80% of its farm produce, the percentage of waste around the world stood at 33%.
The situation is expected to take a turn for the worse as the effects of the rampaging COVID 19 kicks in if urgent steps re not taken to bridge the gap between the farms and the dining tables.
Comments