Nigeria is losing a staggering sum of between $9 billion and $10 billion every year due to massive post-harvest losses, a crisis that is severely undermining the nation's food security and economic potential. This alarming revelation was made public on Monday, 1 December 2025, by Mr. Segun Alabi, the Chief Executive Officer of Davidorlah Nigeria Limited.
A Crisis of Waste and Lost Potential
Speaking at a press conference held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Alabi issued a stark warning. He stated that without immediate and well-coordinated intervention, these colossal losses will continue to cripple Nigeria's agricultural sector, despite its enormous capacity for growth. The CEO explained that the country loses between 30% and 50% of its total agricultural produce annually. This wastage is primarily driven by poor handling methods, a severe lack of adequate storage facilities, inefficient transportation networks, and limited processing capacity.
"These losses undermine farmers' livelihoods, reduce food availability, weaken our export prospects, and ultimately slow down national economic growth," Alabi emphasized. His company, Davidorlah Nigeria Limited, is an agritech firm focused on pineapple farming, concentrate production, and innovative waste-to-wealth solutions. He noted that their subsidiary, Davidorlah Farms, is the largest pineapple farm estate in West Africa and is ready to support national efforts to curb this wastage.
Blueprint for a Solution: From Storage to Wealth Creation
Alabi outlined a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the post-harvest loss menace. He stressed the critical need for investment in modern infrastructure, including cold chain systems, silos, and localized processing hubs to extend the shelf life of perishable goods. He also pointed to the dire state of rural roads and logistics, which often ruin produce before it ever reaches the market.
Essential measures he highlighted include:
- Training farmers on improved harvesting and handling techniques to cut waste at the source.
- Deploying accessible technologies like solar dryers, mobile processing units, and low-cost preservation systems.
- Championing policies that incentivize agro-processing and reward waste-reduction initiatives across the entire agricultural value chain.
The benefits of solving this crisis are profound. Alabi stated that reducing agricultural waste would boost marketable output, increase farmers' incomes, enhance Nigeria's export potential, improve food security, and strengthen the sector's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Jobs, Power, and Prosperity
Beyond saving food, Alabi framed the issue as a major economic and environmental opportunity. Large-scale initiatives to reduce waste would create thousands of new jobs in logistics, processing, storage management, technology manufacturing, and rural enterprise development. Environmentally, minimizing waste reduces pressure on landfills, curbs greenhouse gas emissions, and enhances soil health through recycling and composting.
He particularly highlighted the potential in the "waste-to-wealth" arena. Agricultural by-products can be transformed into high-value goods such as animal feed, bioenergy, bioplastics, and organic fertilizers, creating entirely new revenue streams and driving innovation.
In a striking revelation, Alabi shared that research conducted with national biotechnology experts shows agricultural waste can be converted into gas for electricity generation. "Electricity is one of the easiest problems to solve when the right ideas and environment exist," he asserted. "Our upcoming factory will deploy these technologies... With this, our electricity problem can be significantly reduced."
He called on policymakers, investors, and all stakeholders to act decisively. "The billions we lose annually to post-harvest waste represent both a crisis and an opportunity," Alabi concluded. "With the right investments, innovations, and policies, Nigeria can turn agricultural waste into wealth, create jobs, protect the environment, and build a stronger, more prosperous future."
