Rotting mangoes and bruised pawpaws piled at the edges of market stalls have become a familiar, heartbreaking sight across Nigerian markets. Farmers and wholesalers are counting real losses, and the culprit is not a bad harvest season. It is the near-total absence of cold storage facilities and reliable logistics networks that can move fresh produce from farm to buyer before it spoils.
For fruit traders, the window between a good harvest and a total loss can be as narrow as a day or two. Without refrigerated trucks or storage warehouses close to farming communities, produce that leaves the farm in perfect condition arrives at the market already compromised. Wholesalers absorb those losses quietly, adjusting their prices upward to stay afloat, while consumers end up paying more for fruit that is already past its best.
The health angle is one that does not get enough attention. When rotten fruit piles up in open markets, it attracts pests, breeds bacteria, and creates conditions that can make vendors and shoppers sick. The fruit business in Nigeria is caught in a difficult loop: the infrastructure needed to fix the problem requires investment that small traders simply do not have access to.
What makes this frustrating is that Nigeria grows an extraordinary variety of fruit, and domestic demand is strong. The potential is genuinely there. The question is who steps in first, government policy, private cold-chain investment, or farmer cooperatives, to finally break the cycle.
Originally published by BusinessDay.