Ogun State Urges Farmers to Leverage Agric Infrastructure to Slash Post-Harvest Losses

News in Brief:

-Ogun State Government is urging farmers to fully utilise new agricultural infrastructure to cut post-harvest losses and strengthen the value chain.

-This initiative, driven by OGSTEP, aims to reduce Nigeria’s estimated 40% food losses while boosting productivity and farmer incomes.

The Ogun State Government has intensified efforts to curb post-harvest losses by urging farmers and stakeholders to fully utilise the agricultural infrastructure rolled out under the current administration. 

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, issued this call during the Ogun Agricultural Infrastructure Sustainability Forum held in Ibara, Abeokuta, as detailed in a statement released on Wednesday.

Owotomo positioned the forum as a pivotal move to maximise government investments, fortify the state's agricultural value chain, and significantly reduce wastage that plagues the sector.

Farmer Registration and Capacity Building Drive Transformation

Owotomo highlighted how the state's agricultural momentum has accelerated through the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), which has registered over 160,000 farmers via the State Farmers Information Management System (OGFIMS). This digital platform streamlines financial access, enhances farm management, and boosts production capacity for smallholder farmers, many of whom are young entrepreneurs and students eyeing opportunities in Nigeria's agric space.

“Beyond financial support, over 40,000 farmers have benefited from targeted capacity-building programmes across cassava, rice, aquaculture and poultry value chains," Owotomo stated.

Participants were grouped into clusters to foster economies of scale, deepen collaboration, and widen market access, which are critical for professionals and stakeholders navigating competitive value chains. Government interventions have reached more than 35,000 cassava and maize farmers, over 4,000 fish farmers, and more than 1,000 poultry farmers with vital inputs like subsidised feed and equipment, mirroring earlier OGSTEP successes in areas like Ado-Odo/Otta.

Tackling 40% National Post-Harvest Crisis

Owotomo disclosed that up to 40 per cent of food produced nationwide is lost to post-harvest challenges, a figure echoed in reports from Ogun's own cassava harvests and broader Nigerian trends. To counter this, the ministry undertook a thorough infrastructure needs assessment, birthing “Operation Overdrive.” This flagship initiative has delivered five fish processing centres, a 140,000-capacity broiler facility, a 5,000-birds-per-day poultry processing plant powered by a one-megawatt solar grid, plus solar dryers, warehouses, and cassava processing centres.

He stressed that farmers must optimise these facilities to boost yields and minimise waste, especially amid rising food inflation, which reached 21.79% in early 2025 and ongoing economic pressures on young Nigerians and entrepreneurs. Effective management, sustainability plans, and stakeholder partnerships are essential for higher incomes, less spoilage, and robust food security in Ogun, positioning the state as an agric powerhouse.

Multi-Stakeholder Push for Sustainability and Collaboration

Mrs Oluyemisi Folarin from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, alongside Special Adviser on Agriculture Leke Otegbeye, underscored inter-ministerial synergy and private-sector involvement to cement Ogun's status as a productivity-driven agric hub with superior processing and growth. OGSTEP Agric Sector Programme Manager Oluseyi Olugbire described the forum as a vital platform for hashing out best practices, maintenance strategies, financing, and collaborative models to protect infrastructure longevity, user safety, and economic gains.

Alhaja Ganiyat Adeoye-Kusimo, Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Ogun, praised the interventions for ramping up food output and uplifting farmer livelihoods. Owotomo lauded Governor Dapo Abiodun's visionary leadership on farmer welfare, confident the forum will yield actionable plans for sustained returns on investments.