Nigeria has forfeited an estimated $2.3 billion to $3.3 billion in 2025 due to post‑harvest food losses, underscoring serious weaknesses in the country’s agricultural logistics and storage systems, as reported by Business Insider Africa. Industry experts warn that poor cold storage and transport infrastructure continue to undermine food supply chains, farmer incomes, and national food security.
According to the Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa, Nigeria lost roughly 30 million to 40 million metric tonnes of food across major value chains in 2025.
The losses affected perishable commodities such as tomatoes, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, and fish, produce that had already been cultivated, harvested, and transported before spoiling due to inadequate refrigeration.
These post‑harvest inefficiencies have significant economic impacts. With Nigeria producing tens of millions of metric tonnes of food annually, analysts estimate that up to 40 % of agricultural output never reaches consumers. This contributes to persistent food inflation, reduces farm earnings, and weakens export potential, placing additional pressure on an economy where millions already face food insecurity.
Experts say the root of the problem lies in insufficient cold chain infrastructure, systems that keep food at controlled temperatures throughout the supply chain. Without adequate refrigeration, perishables quickly deteriorate, forcing farmers to either sell at low prices or watch their produce rot before reaching markets.
Industry stakeholders are increasingly calling for urgent investment in cold chain solutions, including refrigerated transport trucks, modular cold storage facilities, aggregation hubs, and solar‑powered systems suitable for rural areas. Such improvements, they argue, could drastically reduce food waste, stabilise prices, strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural economy, and improve resilience in the face of rising demand.
Closing the cold chain gap is seen not only as a logistics challenge but as a crucial step toward ensuring food security, boosting farmer incomes, and unlocking greater economic value across the nation’s agricultural sector.
