New Report: Reducing Post-Harvest Loss in Niger

Reducing post-harvest loss is a key priority for Niger, as it can significantly contribute to enhancing national food security and strengthening the entire agricultural and agrifood value chain.

To address this, Niger conducted a comprehensive survey to assess the extent of harvest losses across various stages of agricultural and agrifood value chains, including harvest, post-harvest and transportation. This survey, conducted by the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Direction des statistiques, Ministère de l’Agriculture et de l’Elevage), with technical assistance from the 50x2030 Initiative, focuses on the evaluation of agricultural losses during the 2024 rainy season in Niger.

The survey report was recently released and presents the main findings, providing a clear picture of the losses incurred at different stages of the harvest process and informing strategies for reducing these losses.

Survey Methodology

The data collection and processing relied on the framework of the 2024 Annual Agricultural Survey, entitled “Enquête Prévision et Estimation des Récoltes (EPER),” and involved a questionnaire-based survey conducted using computer-assisted personal interviewing.

The survey was nationally representative, based on a sample of 720 agricultural households and 120 wholesale traders, covering 39 departments across all regions of Niger.

Key Findings

The survey revealed that total aggregate post-harvest losses vary by crop and measurement method.

Based on declarative estimates, reported loss rates were: millet (12.5%); sorghum (17.1%); maize (16.7%); peanuts (13.6%); sesame (10.5%); and cowpea (19.0%).

Using objective measurements, the aggregate loss rates were: millet (15.7%); sorghum (14.2%); maize (19.5%); and cowpea (14.1%).

The survey highlighted that the highest losses occurred during specific stages of post-harvest handling, such as threshing, cleaning, transport and drying. For instance, the greatest losses for millet, sorghum, and maize were observed during threshing and cleaning operations, while drying and storage also showed notable losses.

Conclusions

The availability and dissemination of the survey findings represents a critical step to help the country understand the scale of the problem. The survey results will play a vital role in informing policies and interventions that seek to reduce agricultural losses and boost food security in Niger. The data will guide decision-makers in enhancing post-harvest practices, including better storage, handling and transportation methods, to help reduce these losses.

Further, efforts to address agricultural losses are underway at a regional level, with the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) targeting a 50% reduction in post-harvest losses by 2025. This goal aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2.3, which aims to halve global per capita food losses by 2030.

The survey report can be found here.