Chukwu Obinna 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Agricultural experts are urging the Federal Government to urgently subsidise and expand cold-chain infrastructure, warning that Nigeria’s food system continues to bleed massive post-harvest losses.
The Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor Faith Ibrahim on Friday says cold storage and refrigerated transport remain largely absent outside major cities.
“The cold chain is almost nonexistent beyond urban centres,” she says. “We need decentralised solar cold rooms, mobile refrigerated trucks and storage hubs.”
She explains that losses exceed 50 per cent for high-value perishables such as tomatoes and peppers, undermining farmers’ incomes and food security.
Ibrahim calls for targeted subsidies and public-private partnerships to make refrigeration affordable for smallholder farmers, including pay-as-you-go models and technical training.
“When preservation improves, farmers earn more and food prices stabilise,” she adds.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Korede Abdullah 