Use of polyurethane insulated chambers to reduce post-harvest losses of farm produce for the Nigerian market

General metabolic activity rises with increasing temperature in farm produce, which commonly leads to post-harvest losses. In recent times, control of temperature has been used successfully to control deterioration and maintain viability of these farm produce. This study focused majorly on post-harvest losses which are a recurring issue in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, especially in the heat of COVID-19 pandemic. It also focused on the driving factors and the proactive measures that were adopted to tackle the problem. Losses of agricultural produce can occur before, during, or after harvesting. Post-harvest losses focus on the latter and are of great concern to the agricultural sector. Preservation of these produce can be achieved using a regulated and temperature-controlled storage area. Rigid polyurethane (PU), commonly used for insulated chambers, has a very low thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.023W/m.K at 10°C with an average K-value of 1.14m2 k/W per inch, depending on the formulation density. Rigid PU exhibits very good dimensional stability between -180 °C and +140 °C, making it a suitable storage technology to forestall and reduce post-harvest losses of agricultural produce. Nigeria has experienced an unimaginable food loss since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening food security and precipitating massive importation. This has led to a surge in the country’s post-harvest losses, currently estimated at $9billion (₦3.4 trillion based on the current official exchange rate of ₦380) by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Post-harvest losses in Africa’s most populous nation have been estimated to range between 5% and 20% for grains, 20% for fish and as high as between 50% and 60% for tubers, fruits and vegetables. Losses can be the result of reduction in quality and safety. In the absence of quality packaging and refrigeration systems for controlled temperature, farm produce deteriorate faster while the farmer waits to sell. Vitapur Nig. Ltd., a PU insulation company developed a PU-insulated chamber with a tricycle as its carrier to help forestall post-harvest losses. The designed regulated, PU-insulated chamber helps to preserve the quality of farm produce and the transportation problem is solved using the tricycle as the carrier. The study showed that the PU-insulated chamber, a composite that comprises majorly of rigid PU systems (Polyol and Isocyanate) and chromadek sheets as the facer can help reduce post-harvest losses by almost 27%, depending on the specific design used.