NSPRI Charges Beneficiaries of Postharvest Management Training to Create Jobs

News in brief:

— A Nigerian research institute trained participants in post-harvest management, focusing on tomato and fish processing and vegetable dehydration.

— Turning perishable produce into shelf-stable, higher-value products can reduce post-harvest losses and create opportunities for small businesses, employment and income generation.

The Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) has trained students, agro-processors, academics and other participants in post-harvest management, urging them to turn the skills acquired into businesses and employment opportunities.

The three-day capacity-building programme, titled “Postharvest Management of Agricultural Products II,” was held at NSPRI’s Lagos Zonal Office.

The training focused on practical techniques for adding value to tomatoes and fish and improving the shelf life of leafy vegetables through dehydration.

NSPRI Promotes Skills as Pathway to Job Creation

The Zonal Coordinator of NSPRI’s Lagos Office, Dr Shuaeeb N. Oyewole, urged participants to make full use of the knowledge gained during the programme.

He said about 80 per cent of the training was practical, allowing participants to develop skills that could be applied commercially.

Oyewole said participants should use the training to become employers of labour rather than solely seeking employment.

The programme brought together participants from different backgrounds, including tertiary institution students, serving National Youth Service Corps members, agro-processors, retirees, academics, representatives of non-governmental organisations and prospective agro-processors.

The diverse participation reflects the potential for post-harvest processing skills to support both existing businesses and new entrants into the agricultural value chain.

Training Focuses on Tomato, Fish and Vegetables

The practical sessions focused on converting agricultural products into processed forms with longer shelf lives and additional commercial value.

Participants learned how to produce ketchup, tomato paste, puree, juice and tomato-pepper mix from tomatoes.

In fish processing, they produced smoked fish and filleted snacks from catfish. The programme also covered the dehydration of leafy vegetables, including ugu, soko and ewedu. They displayed the finished products during the closing ceremony.

Processing perishable agricultural products in this way can help reduce the volume of produce lost after harvest while creating products that can be stored, transported and marketed over longer periods.

Value Addition to Reduce Post-Harvest Losses

Post-harvest losses remain a major challenge across agricultural value chains, particularly for highly perishable products such as tomatoes, fish and leafy vegetables.

Without adequate preservation, storage and processing, farmers and traders can lose part of their produce before it reaches consumers.

Value addition provides one route to managing this challenge.

Instead of selling tomatoes only as fresh produce, for example, processors can convert them into paste, puree, juice and other products. Similarly, fish can be smoked or processed into products with longer shelf lives.

For small and emerging agro-processors, these activities can also create additional revenue streams beyond the primary production of agricultural commodities.

NSPRI Encourages Participants to Commercialise Skills

Declaring the programme closed, Oyewole commended the facilitators and participants for their contributions.

He encouraged beneficiaries to move from training to practical application by developing and commercialising the products they had learned to make.

He said the institute expected to see products developed by the trainees reach branded retail outlets in Nigeria and potentially international markets.

The emphasis on commercialisation reflects the broader objective of skills-based agricultural training: moving participants beyond knowledge acquisition towards viable businesses and income-generating activities.

Participants Highlight Practical Value of Programme

Participants described the training as successful and said the practical sessions exceeded their expectations.

The class governor, Bright Okunfolami, encouraged younger participants, particularly members of Generation Z, to take the skills seriously and consider how to turn them into sustainable businesses.

Another participant, Adeolu Adeniji, said he was impressed by the depth of practical knowledge provided during the programme.

He also commended the facilitators for responding to participants’ questions and maintaining engagement throughout the training.

A participant working with an NGO, Bosede Olanrewaju, praised the facilitators and said participants could continue to seek technical support and business linkages from the institute.

The training demonstrates how post-harvest management can serve both agricultural and employment objectives.

Improving how food is processed and preserved can reduce losses for producers while creating opportunities for processors, distributors and retailers.

For Nigeria, where increasing agricultural production is accompanied by concerns around food preservation, storage and market access, developing more people with practical processing skills could help strengthen the value chain.

The challenge, however, is ensuring that training translates into sustained commercial activity.

Access to finance, appropriate equipment, packaging, certification, market linkages and business support can determine whether participants can move from small-scale production to viable enterprises.