Nigeria loses 50% of food to waste as stakeholders push large-scale farming

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By Jimoh Babatunde

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Nigeria may be losing as much as 50 per cent of the food produced in Lagos before it reaches consumers, a development stakeholders say highlights the urgent need for large-scale commercial farming to address the country’s growing food crisis.

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The disclosure was made in Lagos during the unveiling of a corporate farming initiative aimed at improving agricultural production and reducing food losses across Nigeria’s supply chain.

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Stakeholders from government, agribusiness, banking and farming communities said the country must move away from its fragmented smallholder farming structure and adopt coordinated commercial farming models capable of boosting productivity and strengthening food security.

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At the event, Origin Tech Group unveiled its Corporate Farm Model, a platform designed to support large-scale farming through structured financing, technical farm management and guaranteed market access for agricultural produce.

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Executive Chairman of the company, Prince Samuel, said inefficiencies within Nigeria’s agricultural supply chain are responsible for huge food losses.

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“About 50 per cent of the food produced in Lagos never gets to consumers due to inefficiencies in the supply chain,” he said.

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According to him, the corporate farm model was created to address long-standing risks that have discouraged investors from participating in agriculture.

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Samuel noted that many financial institutions previously suffered losses after financing poorly coordinated agricultural projects without technical expertise or guaranteed markets.

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He explained that the initiative would provide investors with farmland, farm management services, financing support and assured off-take for farm produce. Under the model, farms will operate on a minimum of 1,000 hectares, with investors providing 20 to 30 per cent equity while the balance will come from financial institutions and Origin Tech.

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Samuel added that the programme will also provide farmers with technical support for two farming cycles and advisory services for up to five cycles.

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Chief Operating Officer of Origin Automobile Works, Leo Edwards, said Nigeria’s low level of mechanised farming remains a major challenge.

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Quoting data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he said the global benchmark for mechanised farming is 1.5 horsepower per hectare, while Nigeria currently operates at just 0.0027 horsepower per hectare.

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Also speaking, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said Nigeria’s agricultural model must evolve to address persistent food losses and supply shortages.

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