The Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA) has revealed that Nigeria suffered a staggering economic blow in 2025, losing between N3.5 trillion and N5 trillion due to post-harvest inefficiencies. In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, OTACCWA President Mr. Alexander Isong disclosed that the country wasted an estimated 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food across vital value chains, including dairy, meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
The economic and fiscal consequence of these losses is the direct erosion of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Isong emphasized that this wasted wealth represents value that had already been created; farmers had already invested capital into land, seeds, fertilizer, and labor. When these products rot due to poor logistics, the entire investment is liquidated, fueling food inflation and trapping rural farmers in a cycle of poverty. This infrastructure deficit effectively cancels out many of the gains intended by national agricultural interventions.
Analytically, the crisis is rooted in a fragmented supply chain where the “missing link” is a certified cold chain system. This network of refrigerated transport and storage is essential for maintaining the quality of perishables from farm to table. Without it, Nigerian produce remains locked out of international markets due to quality degradation, and massive spoilage reduces domestic market supply, driving up the cost of staples for the average consumer. Furthermore, critical resources like irrigation water and fertilizer are essentially wasted when the resulting harvest never reaches the consumer.
The impact on national food security is a vital dimension of Isong’s report. As the Country Director for the World Agriculture Forum, Isong argues that post-harvest loss is no longer just a farming issue but a significant infrastructure and economic challenge. He warned that without urgent national investment in modular cold storage facilities and aggregation centers, Nigeria will continue to see its agricultural potential stifled by weak logistics systems that cannot support a modern, self-sufficient economy.
Furthermore, OTACCWA is calling for a private-public partnership (PPP) model to fund refrigerated transport networks. Isong noted that while production volumes may be increasing, the lack of storage facilities acts as a primary obstacle to growth. By treating the cold chain as an integral part of the agricultural sector rather than an afterthought, Nigeria could theoretically reclaim trillions of naira, significantly boosting the income of smallholder farmers and stabilizing national food prices.
The long-term economic outlook for Nigeria’s agricultural sector depends on transforming the “farm-to-fork” journey. If the country can bridge the cold chain gap, it could transition from a net importer of processed foods to a regional powerhouse in fresh produce exports. For now, the loss of up to N5 trillion serves as a stark reminder that growing food is only half the battle; the real challenge lies in keeping it fresh long enough to be consumed.
