{"id":13009,"date":"2026-06-20T12:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/africas-agricultural-postharvest-losses-offer-opportunity-for-the-private-sector\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:08","slug":"africas-agricultural-postharvest-losses-offer-opportunity-for-the-private-sector","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/africas-agricultural-postharvest-losses-offer-opportunity-for-the-private-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Africas agricultural postharvest losses offer opportunity for the private sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Postharvest losses in Africa have opened a vista of untapped opportunities for agro-processors willing to invest in the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opportunities are coming at a time when crop improvement programs by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and national partners are offering better varieties and increasing yield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis makes the private sector a key partner in providing solution to the losses,\u201d said Peter Hartmann, IITA Director General during a courtesy visit by the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Per Lindg\u00e4rde, to IITA in Ibadan. Ambassador Lindg\u00e4rde and Director-General Hartmann exchanged ideas on some of the agricultural challenges of Nigeria and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kenya alone, annual postharvest losses in crops like bananas are estimated at more than 50 per cent but the figure is often higher in other parts of Africa. In Nigeria, the second biggest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, losses easily exceed one third for many crops. \u201cEven in countries that are famine-prone, post harvest losses are still a huge challenge,\u201d Hartmann said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChoose any market in Africa and take a walk during the close of the day and you will see heaps of food that is waste.\u201d Over the years, IITA in collaboration with national partners has developed technologies to tackle postharvest losses via processing of Africa\u2019s major staples including cassava, maize, bananas, and cowpea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this has been done piecemeal and on test sites. There is a need for such efforts at a pan African-scale and this means getting the private sector \u2013 small and big – involved. \u201d Hartmann said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that apart from poor infrastructure which is the continent\u2019s Achilles\u2019 heel, Africa needed more investments in processing and packaging of agricultural products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, the current number of agricultural processing firms is low compared with the dem and.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the achievement of IITA in Africa, Hartman said the Institute had created impact through its research-for-development approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Nigeria as a case study, the director-general said IITA\u2019s contribution to the country was to join Nigerians to make the country the world\u2019s largest producer of cassava and a reference to other African nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also championed the soybean revolution in Nigeria and the country became the largest producer in Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that the Institute\u2019s biological control had saved Africa\u2019s cassava against mealybug, adding that presently IITA is assisting Thail and in solving a similar challenge that once faced Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Per Lindg\u00e4rde lauded IITA\u2019s contribution to agricultural development, poverty alleviation, and wealth creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his words: \u201cI am impressed with what the institute is doing and it has a positive impact on agricultural development not only in Nigeria but also in Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org<\/a>
Charg\u00e9 de communication d'entreprise (international)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org<\/a>
Charg\u00e9 de la communication d'entreprise (Afrique de l'Ouest)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bureau de la communication
IITA \u2013 Si\u00e8ge
Ibadan, Nig\u00e9ria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IITA \u2013 Si\u00e8ge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ibadan, Nig\u00e9ria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

URL : www.iita.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c0 propos de l'IITA<\/b>
L'Afrique est confront\u00e9e \u00e0 des probl\u00e8mes complexes qui minent l'agriculture et la vie des populations. Nous d\u00e9veloppons des solutions agricoles avec nos partenaires pour lutter contre la faim et la pauvret\u00e9. Nos recherches pour le d\u00e9veloppement (R4D), maintes fois r\u00e9compens\u00e9es, reposent sur une r\u00e9flexion cibl\u00e9e et autoris\u00e9e, ancr\u00e9e dans les besoins de d\u00e9veloppement de l'Afrique subsaharienne. Nous travaillons avec des partenaires en Afrique et au-del\u00e0 pour r\u00e9duire les risques pour les producteurs et les consommateurs, am\u00e9liorer la qualit\u00e9 et la productivit\u00e9 des cultures, et g\u00e9n\u00e9rer de la richesse gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l'agriculture. L'IITA est une organisation internationale de R4D \u00e0 but non lucratif cr\u00e9\u00e9e en 1967, dirig\u00e9e par un Conseil d'administration et soutenue principalement par le CGIAR.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Postharvest losses in Africa have opened a vista of untapped opportunities for agro-processors willing to invest in the continent…<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":12833,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[188],"class_list":["post-13009","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-nigeria","item-year-188"],"yoast_head":"\nAfricas agricultural postharvest losses offer opportunity for the private sector - 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