Selections of farm produce including Tomato, Pineapple, Rodo,
Orange, Mango, Tatase, Watermelon, Banana and Pawpaw are produced in Nigeria. From the farm where these crops are produced
to the table where they are consumed, a large chunk of these farm produces up
to 40 – 50% are lost.
Factors affecting post-harvest food losses of perishables vary widely from place to place and become more and more complex as systems of marketing become more complex. A farmer who is growing fruit for his family's consumption probably doesn't mind if his produce has a few blemishes and bruises. If he is producing for a market at any distance from his own locality, however, he and his workers, if he has any, must have a different attitude if he hopes to get the best money return on his work.
Central to the problem of post-harvest loss in Nigeria are the issues of transportation and preservation. Farm produces are packed in baskets, sacks; and transported in charts, wheel barrow, open pick-up vans and trucks without necessary preservation mechanisms.
A group of company – Primlaks with a view to minimizing waste in Nigeria has declared her mandate to work with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture by undertaking the processing, preserving and packaging of some selected Nigeria produce including Pineapple, Mango, Tatashe, Rodo and others. The end product the company promised to sell both in local and international markets with a view to creating jobs generate the foreign.
My major concern knowing who determines the price they farmers sells to Primlaks – so as to avoid further impoverishing the farmers by paying less for their farm produce than what would have been obtainable at local markets.
Generally, I feel this is a good initiative that will create jobs for Nigerians and generate income for the nation. There is need for other companies like Primlaks to come and invest and benefit from the wealth of resources abundant in Nigeria
Pictures adapted from Daily Independence
Comments
Post a Comment