The Federal Government said it would revitalise silos facilities in the country to ensure an efficient and effective storage system that would reduce post-harvest losses, and improve food security.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated this on Monday during a high-level meeting with the delegation from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), led by its Director General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, in Abuja.
Kyari reiterated the urgent need to revitalise silo storage facilities as a critical strategy to reduce Nigeria’s massive post-harvest losses, which is currently estimated at about $10 billion annually.
He maintained that storage facilities are essential to our food security drive, as they directly address wastage and ensure year-round availability of staple crops.
The minister noted that ‘’out of the 17 silo complexes concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria, which operates three silo complexes under three separate Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), have met all conditions and are performing optimally.
He pointed out that the Ministry’s review process has indicated that several concessionaires failed to put silo facilities into optimal operating condition despite earlier agreements, adding that the ministry’s monitoring visits showed little or no progress in some facilities, with reported cases of vandalisation and perimeter fence collapse in locations such as Ikorodu and Ogoja.
He added that some of the concessionaires also defaulted in their payment obligations, noting that only flour mills are consistently meeting performance and financial conditions.
Kyari assured that the ministry would work closely with ICRC to intensify oversight function, enforce compliance, and ensure that only competent private operators manage the country’s silo facilities.
He noted that this renewed push aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda, which aimed at achieving food and nutrition security.
In his remarks, the Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, stated that only private companies with real operational needs for silos should be retained.
He also advised that abandoned silos should be retrieved by the federal government, pointing out that some concessionaires have failed to remit required returns to government coffers.
The highlight of the meeting was the setting up of a committee to review contractual clauses, assess performance, and set clear modus operandi, monitoring, and evaluation, among others.