Nigeria could face shortages of staple foods, including rice and tomatoes, within the next three months if persistent supply chain challenges are not addressed, according to the Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa (OTACCWA).
The organisation warned that rising transport costs, inadequate cold storage infrastructure and inefficiencies across the country's food logistics network are threatening the steady movement of agricultural produce from farms to markets. Without urgent intervention, the disruptions could reduce food availability, increase post-harvest losses and place additional upward pressure on food prices.
According to OTACCWA, the combination of high fuel and transportation costs has made it increasingly expensive to move perishable commodities across Nigeria. At the same time, the country's limited cold chain capacity means large volumes of fruits, vegetables and other fresh produce spoil before reaching consumers. Crops such as tomatoes, which require temperature-controlled handling, remain particularly vulnerable to post-harvest losses.
The organisation called for increased investment in refrigerated transportation, cold storage facilities and modern food logistics systems to improve the resilience of Nigeria's agricultural value chains. It also urged stronger collaboration between government agencies and private sector investors to expand cold chain infrastructure, particularly in major food-producing regions where post-harvest losses remain among the highest in Africa.
Nigeria loses a significant share of its agricultural production after harvest because of inadequate storage, poor road networks and limited processing capacity. These structural challenges continue to undermine farmer incomes, reduce market efficiency and contribute to food inflation despite improvements in agricultural production. As demand for fresh food rises with population growth, experts argue that strengthening cold chain systems has become essential to ensuring reliable food supplies.
NBF Insight
Nigeria's food security challenge is increasingly becoming a logistics challenge rather than a production challenge. Producing more food will have limited impact if crops cannot be stored, transported and delivered efficiently to consumers.
Cold chain infrastructure is one of the most overlooked investments in African agriculture. Expanding refrigerated storage, modern transport networks and integrated food distribution systems could significantly reduce post-harvest losses, stabilise food prices and improve farmer profitability. For Nigeria, building a stronger cold chain may prove just as important as increasing agricultural output in achieving long-term food security.
