The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, is collaborating with Food Processing and Packaging Machinery of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) to reduce the level of post harvest food losses in Nigeria.

Managing Director, Food  Processing and Packaging Machinery of the  German Engineering Federation (VDMA), Richard Clemens, disclosed this at an Agric Expo and Food Exhibition in Lagos. VDMA, the German Engineering Federation, is the trade association of the German capital goods industry comprising of over 3,100 members. The association represents almost all major manufacturers of machinery, plant and apparatus in Germany. Addressing newsmen at the symposium, Clemens observed that Nigeria, and other countries around the world have been recording huge food losses, resulting in economic drainage, due to lack of logistics and technology for food processing. According to him, post harvest food losses could be reduced to as low as 20 percent globally as against the present position of 60 percent using latest technology. “The world community is facing huge challenges of supplying people with unspoiled, healthy food and clean water. The question is how to accomplish this for the predicted world population of 9.5 billion people in 2050. The public debate goes into many directions, but one aspect is rarely mentioned – the technology needed to ensure the supply.