The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced that the U.S. government has launched its new Country Plan for Nigeria as part of the Global Food Security Strategy. The announcement was made by Melissa Jones, the mission director of USAID, during the "1st Post-harvest Connect Conference and Exhibition" held in Abuja. According to Ms. Jones, the plan was unveiled in March and aligns with President Joe Biden's pledge to enhance food security in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) organized the conference in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), among others.
Ms Jones said the new strategy prioritized the value chains of rice, maize, and horticulture in Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
According to her, the program builds on previous achievements and lessons learned and prioritizes inclusive participation, value chain, climate adaptation, and private sector engagement.
The director said USAID looked forward to partnering with the Nigerian government, specifically the NSPRI, to advance the technology and infrastructure needed to reduce post-harvest losses in Nigeria.
Ms Jones identified the conference as timely given the growing food insecurity, food price inflation of over 40 percent, and rise in the overall cost of living.
She decried that the rise in the cost of living had brought untold hardship to millions of people who could not afford basic staples.
“Currently, Nigeria’s post-harvest losses are almost 50 percent for fresh produce.
“It is critical that we all come together to focus on ensuring that the hard work of farmers is not lost in post-harvest and passes to the consumers in need,” Ms Jones said.
Garba Sharubutu, executive secretary of ARCN, identified one of the country’s major problems as concentrating all efforts on food production and neglecting post-harvest activities.
According to him, the conference is the beginning of sensitizing the public, government, and farmers to the need to examine post-harvest activities.
(NAN)