Ecotutu and partners develop SelfChill cooling solutions to reduce post-harvest losses in Nigeria

NIGERIA – Cleantech company, Ecotutu, in collaboration with the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) and Solar Cooling Engineering from Germany has developed the SelfChill cooling solutions in a bid to combat post-harvest losses in the country.

The SelfChill cooling solutions technology will also help reduce farmers cost of production given the current absence of adequate power to farming communities.

“The SelfChill cooling solutions provide affordable off-grid solutions to preserve perishable food products while retaining their quality thus effectively tackling Nigeria’s huge post-harvest losses,” outlined company experts at a recent event themed ‘Promoting Innovative Solar Cooling Technologies for Nigeria’.

A recent report published by Emerald Insights, reveals that indeed post-harvest losses in Nigeria are dangerously high outlining that every year, the economic cost of post-harvest losses in Nigeria reaches USD 4.6 million resulting in low Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the sector.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) further records that in Africa, approximately 1.3 billion metric tons of food is lost immediately after harvest thus failing to reach consumers.

This food is estimated to range between 30% and 40% of the food African farmers produce.

Post-harvest losses in Africa are mainly caused by poor handling mechanisms of farm produce between harvesting, storage, and distribution.

According to the African Union High Level Panel on Innovation and Emerging Technologies (APET), a significant number of fields are inadequately harvested with limited drying methods before threshing.

This is further exacerbated by the fact that most African farmers have limited storage facilities and storage challenges caused by poor infrastructure which makes it difficult to transport crops and produce to the available markets.

APET, however, states that if the appropriate measures and mechanisms are established to curb the post-harvest food losses, the saved food can adequately feed approximately 1.6 billion people across the continent.

African farmers are, thus, encouraged to utilize smart technologies and techniques to curb food losses thus empowering the continent’s food self-sufficiency. 

Additionally, the report urges African governments to urgently invest in public awareness campaigns on post-harvest losses, food wastages, and food waste management. 

One of the ways Ecotutu is educating the public on post-harvest losses is by increasing the awareness of the SelfChill technology and facilitating rapid adoption while selling the components.

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Further Reading:

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