Reducing post-harvest losses vital for food and nutrition security
Angola undertakes study to measure food losses
04 October 2016, Luanda - Globally, about 30 percent of the food that is harvested gets lost or wasted each year, further denting prospects for food security. In sub-Sahara Africa, the statistics are much higher especially for tubers (cassava) where smallholder farmers lose up to half their yield between the field and the fork. Angola is no exception as post-harvest losses cost the country millions of dollars.
FAO, the Government of Angola and the Africa Union Commission, with funding from the Government of Norway, recently facilitated a comprehensive study on the socio-economic impacts of post-harvest losses and presented alternatives to minimize waste in Angola and guarantee the food and nutrition security for the population of the country. The This was the first study of this nature in the country and it found that post-harvest loss of cereals (maize) in Angola are estimated at 3.4 trillion Kwanzas, (about US$20.5 billion) while the tubers is over 7.5 billion Kwanzas (about US$45 million) annually. Results of this study were presented at a workshop attended by UN Agencies, the European Union, World Bank, Diplomats, social partners and the private sector as well as representatives of government institutions.
The event was co-chaired by Mamoudou Diallo, FAO Representative in Angola, and José Amaro Tati, Secretary of State of Agriculture. In his opening speech, Mamoudou Diallo, highlighted the socio-economic impact of post-harvest losses and its contribution to for the population of the country. “In fact, reducing food losses and increasing activities that add value and improve the marketing of agricultural products, are challenges that the agricultural sector has to face and those who believe that investing in agriculture should also address issues related to post-harvest and other areas of agribusiness and agro-industry, will be widely recognized for their potential as engines of economic growth.” Diallo added saying: “Given the current efforts to improve agricultural productivity in Angola and point out the large number of interventions to be made, based on the National Plan for Agricultural Development (2013-2017), this time is opportune to incorporate and strengthen efforts for food loss reduction in the national agricultural strategy.”
Secretary of State for Agriculture, José Amaro Tati said that the workshop is aligned with the National Food Security and Nutrition Strategy and the Fight against Poverty carried out by Government of Angola since 2013. “New strategies for the right approach are needed to fight against food insecurity and malnutrition in view of the rapid evolution of agri-food systems and the need to address a variety of interrelated elements, namely, among others: the global integration market, increasing influence of the private sector, urbanization and the extend of food supply chains,” said Tati. “Taken in consideration these changes, the intervention strategies need to focus on the systematic improvement of efficiency and sustainability throughout the supply chain with clearly defined role for both the public and private sectors,” he added.
The FAO project sought to restore the institutional capacity of Angola regarding the reduction of post-harvest losses through national awareness of institutions and bodies for the formulation of policies, strategies and specific investment programs to mitigate the effects and impacts of these losses to household income.
The workshop also proposed the development of the second phase of the project, the implementation of a national post-harvest loss reduction program and income generation program for small producers of cereals (maize) and of roots and tubers (cassava) in the framework of agricultural diversification initiated by the Angolan Government.
FAO estimates sub-Saharan Africa food losses of about 20 percent for cereals, 40-50 percent for tubers, fruits and vegetables, 27 percent for oilseeds, meat and milk, and 33 percent for fish, that has an expenditure evaluated at US$4 billion per year - enough to feed at least 48 million people, equivalent to the population of Angola, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Namibia and Malawi all together.
For more information please contact:
Benedito Sipandeni /Media Consultant - FAO Angola/ Cel. +244 913144354 / 926049826/ Luanda.
Email: [email protected]