Group pictures of ColdHubs Team, Development Partners and Leaders of Host Community, Kaduna State Government.
As part of its social impact towards reducing food loss and improving agricultural value in Africa, ColdHubs, with support from Heifer International, launched a 100-ton solar-powered cold room for fruits and vegetables storage and preservation in Dan Magaji Fruit and Vegetable Market and Aggregation Centre, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
The CEO and Founder of ColdHubs,Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, said that the facility has the capacity to store tomatoes and other fresh fruits and vegetables for three months without spoilage. The infrastructure can store and preserve 5,000 crates of fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
According to Nnaemeka, the facility would serve as the tomato triangle of Kano, Katsina, and Kaduna states - the largest tomato production cluster in West Africa.
"We also have several 10tons and 20 tons refrigerated trucks ready to convey fresh fruits and vegetables to any part of Nigeria", he said.
He disclosed that the 100-ton cold room is the first of its kind for the preservation of perishable foods in the cold chain industry in West Africa, while adding that the company has trained smallholder farmers, retailers, and wholesalers on skills and knowledge about post-harvest management of perishable foods.
The Country Director of Heifer International, Rufus Idris, said it was working with the ColdHub to stop post-harvest losses.
Idris stressed that the idea is to end hunger and poverty in Nigeria and that by 2030, Heifer would have helped two million farmers and households in Nigeria close their living income gaps.
Country Director of Heifer International, Rufus Idris
Speaking at the event, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmad Nuhu-Bamalli, commended the innovation, stating that it would go a long way to reduce losses of tomatoes and other perishable foods.
The emir, represented by Sarkin Yaki Zazzau and Alhaji Rilwanu Yahya-Pate, urged farmers to embrace innovation and use it effectively to boost their farming businesses.
Representative of Emir of Sarkin Yaki Zazzau and Alhaji Rilwanu Yahya-Pate
Some of the farmers and traders present commended the company while expressing hope for a better yield and sale of fresh produce.
The Chairman of the Tomato Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Rabiu Hussaini, said the cold room was a prayer answered as farmers and dealers of tomatoes had been incurring huge losses.