How lack of storage facilities, logistics hobble fruit business

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Read History Go to My Account Log Out Enhanced by Google BDSunday How lack of storage facilities, logistics hobble fruit business …As rotten fruits litter markets, create health issues …Farmers, wholesalers count losses Nigerians who are in the fruit business are

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Nigerians who are in the fruit business are lamenting endlessly because of the heavy losses they incur through waste.

While those who cultivate the fruits complain about lack of storage facilities and logistical bottlenecks to move their produce to the areas they are most needed, wholesalers, on the other hand, lament lack of facilities for proper storage.

Across different markets in the country, heaps of oranges, lettuce, cucumbers, pineapples, watermelon, and apples, among others, rot away while the dealers watch helplessly.

It is also unfortunate that because of the absence of technology to add value to the fruits, dealers have no choice but to offload them raw with little or no value addition.

The rotten heap of these fruits also adds to the worsening cases of poor hygiene in the markets and centres where these fruits are sold.

For instance, the Ikosi-Ketu Fruit Market in Lagos alone generates an average of 30 tonnes of waste daily, of which about 90 percent is said to be organic food and fruit waste according to the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

In 2025, the Lagos State government, in partnership with C40 Cities, launched a biodigester plant in the Ikosi Fruit Market for the conversion of generated organic waste into energy.

The initiative was considered timely because the market produces huge tonnes of waste daily — primarily fruits due to long transport distances, heat, and rapid ripening.

However, there is a need to replicate the Ikosi Fruit Market’s biodigester across other fruit markets in the state – namely Orile, Iyana-Iba, and Ilepo Markets.

Ironically, the three other fruit markets are within the Lagos West senatorial district of the state – hence, the need to decentralise the initiative to save both farmers and traders, and also reduce the amount of food that goes to waste on a daily basis in Lagos.

On a larger scale, Nigeria loses an estimated 30 to 40 million metric tonnes of food annually, resulting in economic losses of between N3.5 trillion and N5 trillion. Of these losses, food waste and post-harvest losses (PHL) form a major part of the country’s solid waste challenge, while household waste alone accounts for an estimated 60 percent.

Across the country’s food-producing states of Benue, Kaduna, and Jos, large quantities of harvest are lost due to poor storage and limited facilities. Food waste is classified as both an environmental and a humanitarian crisis. While millions face hunger, perfectly good food is lost across the value chain.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), food waste contributes significantly to climate change through methane emissions from decomposing organic waste in dumpsites and landfills.

Food waste contributes up to 14 percent of global methane emissions through the release of potent greenhouse gases. It also wastes valuable resources such as land, water, and energy, even as about 673 million people worldwide face hunger.

“Poor roads, market delays, unreliable electricity, and limited access to modern storage facilities further complicate the situation,” Iyabo Christianah Oladipo, a professor of Food and Industrial Microbiology, told BusinessDay Sunday.

Oladipo disclosed that the result was not only food loss but also economic loss. According to her, farmers may receive very low prices for perishable produce, while consumers may pay higher prices due to shortages and losses along the supply chain.

However, it is important to distinguish food loss from food waste. “Food loss generally occurs during production, handling, storage, processing, and transportation. Food waste occurs mainly at the retail and consumer stages, when food that could still be eaten is discarded,” Oladipo said.

According to her, both problems require attention. She added that reducing food loss among farmers, transporters, and market traders is particularly important for protecting Nigeria’s perishable food supply.

Stanley Nwani, a faculty member at Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), said nutrition was beyond food. According to him, Nigerians pay keen attention to food, leaving out the quality of water, air, sanitation and hygiene.

“No nation has an optimal nutrition level without paying more attention to water, air, sanitation and hygiene,” he said during a recent Nestle business journalism and nutrition programme.

However, he added that malnutrition or lack of adequate nutrition has far-reaching economic consequences both at the individual and national level.

Food handling and safety are important components for public health, food security, and the economy.

It remains a major global public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where unsafe food contributes substantially to morbidity, mortality, and economic losses.

However, it is not enough for food to be available or affordable. “Food must also be safe from contamination, properly handled, and stored under conditions that preserve its nutritional value,” Oladipo added.

She added that this is particularly important for perishable foods such as meat, fish, milk, vegetables, fruits, and other fresh produce.

For many Nigerian families, these foods are important sources of protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. However, poor handling, inadequate storage, and poor food safety practices can result in unhealthy food.

Iya Olawale, a fruit seller at Orile-Iganmu Fruit Market, said traders store their fruits in baskets, noting that weather conditions affect the ripening process. “When the weather is unfavourable, fruits do not ripen on time,” she said.

Similarly, Mallam Abubakar Idris, a watermelon seller in the same market, reiterated similar storage challenges. He added that transporting fruits from the north down to Lagos is usually a risk undertaken by the sellers.

According to him, a truckload of oranges from the north could cost as much as N10 million, yet the traders have little control over the logistics of moving their produce to places like Lagos for the ready market.

Idris disclosed that sometimes, vehicles break down on the road; at other times, poor road conditions cause delays that stretch for days. Without proper preservation systems, fruits begin to deteriorate long before they reach the market.

Food safety begins from the farm and continues through transportation, processing, storage, preparation, sale, and consumption. A term usually classified as ‘farm-to-table.’

At every stage, food can become contaminated if proper hygiene practices are not followed. One major concern is the handling of food in markets and other places where it is sold.

“Fresh fruits and vegetables may be placed directly on the ground or handled with unclean hands,” said Oladipo, a professor in the department of Science Laboratory Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

She identified insufficient government control, poor handling, and traceability of farm produce among some of the challenges hampering Nigeria’s food hygiene and safety. “Inadequate access to clean water and proper sanitation also makes it difficult for food sellers to maintain good hygiene.”

According to Oladipo, Nigeria cannot afford to lose valuable food through poor handling, inadequate storage, and preventable contamination.

Hence, improving food hygiene and investing in the perishable food value chain will help reduce food losses, protect public health, support farmers, and make nutritious foods more accessible.

“Ultimately, the goal should not only be to put food on the table, but to ensure that the food on every Nigerian’s table is safe, nutritious, and fit for consumption,” Oladipo said.

Yomi Akinyemi, deputy director, Information and Communication Technology, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said the agency has been strengthening its internal mechanism to protect Nigerian consumers from adulterated products.

According to him, the agency has deepened its collaborations with relevant organisations to ensure that food products consumed by Nigerian consumers are safe for eating.

“You saw what happened in Agege; that is part of those things that we are doing. Information got to us; we reacted almost immediately, and there are consequences. The same way we do for other food, drugs, or other medical products,” Akinyemi said.

Tackling food waste is one of the most cost-effective and achievable climate solutions. It aligns with zero-waste approaches that prioritise prevention, resource efficiency, and systemic change.

Similarly, promoting zero-waste initiatives supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Nigerian farmers are still paying the price for logistical bottlenecks and policy inconsistency. The problem is not just producing food; it is connecting the farmer who produces it to the consumer who needs it at a price that benefits both.

Across Nigeria, farmers face high transportation costs, poor rural roads, expensive storage and unpredictable markets.

“We farmers must organise ourselves into cooperatives, aggregate produce, establish supply agreements with hotels, restaurants, caterers and retailers, and use platforms like WhatsApp to coordinate orders and deliveries,” Sola Bunmi Adeniyi, chairman, Highhill Group, said.

Adeniyi said that agriculture would become a profitable business when farmers have reliable buyers, and consumers can access better food. “My message is simple: build the market alongside the farm, not after production.”

Seyi John Salau is a BusinessDay Correspondent with interest in development journalism, which tells stories that connect the people, brands,…