Expert Advises Farmers on Modern Reservation Techniques To Curb Post-harvest Losses

An agronomist, Dr Sani Dan-Azumi has urged farmers to adopt modern preservation techniques and improved storage methods to reduce post-harvest losses.
He said this in an interview with NAN in Bauchi.
According to Dan-Azumi, farmers lost more than 40 per cent of harvested crops annually due to poor handling, inadequate storage facilities, and lack of processing industries.
Danazumi, a lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, said post-harvest losses mostly affects perishable produce.
“Tomatoes, fruits, vegetables and grains remain one of the major challenges undermining the agricultural value chain and discouraging farmers from expanding production,” he said.
He said the trend required urgent intervention through farmer education, use of modern silos, cold storage systems and value addition through processing.
The expert stressed that farmers must be train on simple and affordable preservation methods, and embrace cooperatives to them access better technologies and market linkage.
Dan-Azumi called for public private sector investments in rural infrastructure, transportation, power supply and agro-processing to support smallholder farmers.
He highlited that tackling post-harvest losses would boost food availability, improve farmers’ livelihoods and contribute to national economic growth.
“Reducing waste after harvest is as important as increasing production,” he said, and urged the youths to explore agribusiness opportunities in food preservation and logistics,
He said that effective management of post-harvest produce could transform agriculture into a sustainable source of wealth and employment for Nigerians.