As Nigeria’s post-harvest losses of agricultural produce worsen by the day, stakeholders in the cold chain industry have advocated for partnership and policy framework to explore solutions for accelerating cold chain adoption across the sector.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), estimates that the country loses around 50 per cent of its agricultural products to post-harvest challenges yearly. These losses are particularly significant in perishable goods, especially vegetables and fruits.

The stakeholders made the proposal at the Cold Chain in Agriculture Roundtable 2025 event, convened by Ecotutu – a firm renowned for its expertise in cold chain solutions. Themed: Accelerating Cold Chain Adoption for a Sustainable Agricultural Future in Nigeria, the roundtable, held in Lagos, brought together industry leaders, innovators, policy makers and key stakeholders on ways to reduce the losses, protect livelihoods and preserver food.

In his keynote address, titled: “Strategic Imperatives and investment opportunities in Nigeria’s cold chain sector,” the Executive Chairman, ORIGIN Tech, Prince Samuel Joseph Samuel, said the issue of inadequate cold chain infrastructure has resulted to economic losses accruing to N3.5tr yearly.

Represented by a Director at ORIGIN Tech, Olusesan Ayeni, Samuel said the country’s agric sector has good strength but weak linkages, hence the persistent issue of post-harvest losses.

“Nigeria is among the top countries producing tomatoes, yam, cassava and citrus in Africa, yet logistics infrastructure, especially cold chain system is underdeveloped or non-existent in many value chains. There is need to develop all aspects of the value chain.

“Cold chain is a national infrastructure; cold chain is not a luxury. It’s a core infrastructure, which is as essential as roads or electricity for feeding a growing population, enabling exports and transforming rural livelihood,” he said.

While stressing the need to urgently address the issue, Samuel highlighted the idea of collaborative ecosystem; he also called for government’s support to mitigate the lingering post-harvest crisis in the sector.

“Fixing Nigeria’s cold chain is not a luxury; it is the frontline of our food security strategy. Cold chain is not a side conversation, it is central to our national survival.”

The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, who noted that government cannot solve all the challenges in the sector alone because it grows less than 20 per cent of what the state consumes, said the state government is willing to partner private sector, to ensure the right food comes into the state for the mutual benefit of all.

During the spotlight session moderated by the Co-founder and CEO, Ecotutu, Jide Oluwase, the Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture (BoA), Ayo Sotinrin, who noted that the biggest problem facing the sector in the country is access to finance, said his first mandate in the bank is to decentralise collateral for accessing funds.

He stressed that BoA is embarking on the review of the loan policy and other areas of the bank’s operation to maximise its potential towards enhancing agriculture in the country.

The Deputy Consul General at the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lagos, Peter Keulers, who lamented that too much food, is wasted because of food storage facilities deficiency. “Our role is to strengthen the economic ties between Nigeria and Netherlands. We’ll continue to partner with Nigeria on agriculture to find cold chain solution.”

On his part, the President, Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA), Alexander Isong, noted that as the country is moving towards becoming a food hub, there is the urgent need to address issues affecting post-harvest losses.

“Up to 45 to 60 per cent of foods got spoilt before reaching the consumers. Only about five per cent of Nigerians get access to cold chain solutions. Power problem, cost of fuel and others are serious impediments to cold chain growth in Nigeria.”

The Managing Director, Ecotutu, Oluwase said the roundtable aims to address post-harvest losses and fortify Nigeria’s food supply chain.

He said the roundtable brought together important players from the agricultural value chain, to discuss scalable solutions to Nigeria’s growing food preservation problems.

Earlier, in her welcome address, the Head of Operations at Ecotutu, Adejoke Nofiu, said the firm has made measurable progress. “From deploying solar-powered mobile cold rooms to creating pay-as-you-chill models that make our services affordable and flexible, Ecotutu has impacted thousands of farmers, traders, and SMEs across Nigeria.

“We’ve helped extend the shelf life of fresh produce, supported smallholder farmers in reducing spoilage, and most importantly, ensured that food travels farther, lasts longer, and feeds more people….”