The Federal Government is set to review the Silos Concession Programme for a resilient, efficient and effective storage system that would reduce losses, improve the food storage ecosystem, and achieve food security.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, harped on the need for the reform, noting that out of the 17 silo facilities concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria, which operates three silo complexes under three separate Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), has met “all conditions, and is performing optimally.”

Speaking during a high-level meeting with a delegation from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), led by the Director-General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, the minister decried the over $10 billion yearly post-harvest loss.
 
Stressing the urgent need to revitalise silo storage facilities in the country, he stated: “Storage facilities are essential to our food security drive, as they directly address wastage and ensure year-round availability of staple crops.”

In his remarks, Ewalefoh submitted that only private companies with real operational needs for silos should be retained. He also advised that abandoned silos should be retrieved by the government.