Food Inflation Driven by Inefficiency, Not Scarcity – Emehelu

By Adeagbo Goodness Oluwadara, Abuja

The chief executive officer, ExpressAllAgro, Emeka Emehelu, has disclosed that the agricultural sector sustains more than 75 per cent of the country’s rural population, while a long-standing structural challenge continues to affect its efficiency in food production.

He said that farmers and manufacturers play a significant role in price formation across markets, often contributing to higher food costs for consumers while limiting farmers’ earnings.

Emehelu emphasised that a technology-driven approach being developed by agribusiness firm ExpressAllAgro is now seeking to address this imbalance by improving direct market access for producers.

“For years, middlemen have remained central to Nigeria’s agricultural distribution network, purchasing produce from farmers and reselling it to urban markets. While the system has provided a channel for moving goods, stakeholders note that it has also contributed to inefficiencies within the value chain,” he added.

He further stressed that farmers receive only a fraction of the final market value of their produce, while broader supply chain challenges continue to affect food availability.

According to him, post-harvest losses also remain a major concern, with estimates suggesting that a significant portion of produce is lost due to storage limitations, logistics gaps, and fragmented distribution systems.

Emehelu further explained that ExpressAllAgro aims to improve coordination across the agricultural value chain by integrating price information, supply tracking, logistics coordination, digital trading, and financing options into a single system.

“Our objective is clear: to enable more direct connections between farmers, distributors, and bulk buyers, while improving efficiency in the movement of agricultural goods,” he said.

Emehelu, with prior experience in manufacturing and brand development, has spent the past several years building operations in the agricultural distribution space. The firm is also exploring the use of data analytics and demand forecasting tools to improve supply chain planning and reduce market volatility.

“Nigeria’s agricultural sector is widely regarded as a key component of the economy, with significant untapped potential. Platforms such as ExpressAllAgro represent one approach to solving these challenges,” he concluded.