Deola Balogun Advocates Post-Harvest Solutions to Food Crisis
Nigeria's food security challenge extends beyond increasing agricultural output to ensuring that food survives the journey from farms to consumers, according to Deola Balogun, Chief Executive Officer of Limlim Foods Production Ltd.
Balogun argued that while the country continues to focus on boosting food production, inadequate post-harvest systems remain a major obstacle to achieving sustainable food security.
According to her, food security should not be measured solely by harvest volumes or production statistics but by the ability of food to reach homes, schools, factories and markets in a safe, stable and usable condition.
"Nigeria is not short of food, but we are short of food that can survive post-harvest," she said, noting that discussions around farming output, import substitution and market prices often overlook the critical issue of food preservation and usability.
She explained that agricultural production alone cannot guarantee food security if produce deteriorates before reaching consumers or industrial users.
"A country cannot eat production figures, a mother cannot cook a policy document, and a school cannot feed children with food that spoils before it reaches the kitchen," she said, adding that manufacturers also struggle when raw materials are unstable, inconsistent or unavailable for significant periods of the year.
Balogun noted that significant value is lost after harvest due to poor storage facilities, inadequate transportation infrastructure, unreliable power supply and weak post-harvest handling systems.
She cited examples such as tomatoes that perish before reaching urban markets, seasonal fruits that flood markets briefly before disappearing, and vegetables that require refrigeration in an environment where electricity remains unreliable.
According to her, these systemic challenges undermine farmers' efforts, reduce consumer access to nutritious food and limit the availability of reliable agricultural inputs for food processors.
She stressed that food only becomes valuable when it successfully moves beyond the farm to serve households, schools, restaurants, manufacturers and export markets.
"A mango on a tree proves food exists, but it does not feed a nation until it moves beyond the farm and still carries value into homes, schools, factories and export markets," she said.
Similarly, she argued that baskets of tomatoes entering major cities do little to improve food security if poor roads, excessive heat and inadequate storage destroy their quality before they become meals, income or industrial inputs.
Balogun maintained that Nigeria's next phase of agricultural development should prioritise investments in post-harvest infrastructure, preservation technologies, storage systems and food processing capacity.
She warned that unless the country strengthens these areas, increasing agricultural production alone will continue to yield limited gains.
"Our food challenge is not production alone. It is the failure to convert what we grow into food that can last, travel, nourish, support industry and serve people consistently," she said.
She called on policymakers, investors and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain to shift attention from celebrating harvest volumes to building the systems that preserve food quality, reduce losses and ensure year-round availability.
According to Balogun, Nigeria's food security agenda will only succeed when food can withstand the realities of transportation, storage and distribution, ultimately reaching consumers and industries in a form that retains its nutritional and economic value.
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