OTACCWA advocates climate-friendly technologies

The Organisation for Technology Advancement of Cold Chain in West Africa has urged agricultural stakeholders in the country to maximize the use of climate-friendly technologies in the sector.

The interim chairman of OTACCWA, Dr. Augustine Okoruwa, said this at the ongoing OTACCWA West African Cold Chain Summit taking place in Lagos.

According to him, post-harvest loss (PHL) is a major factor of climate change and as such, there is a need to be more climate-friendly.

He said that more climate-friendly technologies need to be employed so that while eliminating hunger, we are also sustaining the environment.

Okoruwa said, “We are promoting the use of climate-friendly technology. Using solar technology is climate friendly; you don’t generate any chemical that goes into the atmosphere and pollutes it, unlike diesel which releases carbon monoxide and depletes the ozone”.

He identified finance as a major problem faced by farmers, noting that the government had made measures to provide financial aid to farmers but still, small-scale farmers can barely access such grants and aids.

He said that “It would be much better for small-scale farmers to aggregate and form clusters and operate in cooperatives so that they can have the critical numbers to access funds.”

The interim chairman who also called on financial institutions to assist farmers especially those involved in cold chain added that packages should be made available for those involved in cold chain so as to encourage and strengthen cold chain in the country.