The Enugu State Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation said the ongoing state’s Coldbox Store project and Integrated Greenhouses are addressing critical agricultural challenges such as seasonality, post-harvest losses, and ineffective post-harvest management.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Dr. Patrick Ubru, said on Wednesday in Enugu that the Coldbox Store project and Integrated Greenhouses programmes were technological innovations initiated by Gov. Peter Mbah to provide solutions to agricultural challenges.
The commissioner said that the impact of this technological-driven agriculture was evident in the pilot Enugu Refrigerated Aggregation Center at Aguobu Iwollo, “which I commissioned nine months ago on behalf of His Excellency, Gov. Peter Mbah.”
He said that the facility had now been integrated with two additional greenhouse clusters in the agrarian regions of Eke and Ezeagu axis of the state, forming a network for high-quality organic habanero and bale pepper production.
According to him, this supply chain is enabled by the Coldbox Store— a walk-in, off-grid and solar-powered refrigerated container. He said, “Additionally, open-field fruity vegetable smallholder farmers, along with livestock farmers and meat sellers, are being incorporated into the project’s cold-supply chain.
“These integrations, facilitated by the state Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, enhance the Coldbox Store’s capacity utilization and significantly expand its impact on smallholder cooperative farmers and fresh food distributors in the Udi-Ezeagu agrarian region.
“Witnessing a bountiful harvest during the dry season is every farmer’s dream, and fulfilling this dream remains at the heart of our mission.
“His Excellency, Gov. Peter Mbah, is deeply committed to enabling smart agro-infrastructure – including greenhouses, earth ponds, and a network of solar-powered cold-chain solutions — that empower farmers to address challenges of climate change, seasonality, post-harvest losses, and limited access to high-value markets.”
Ubru noted that the “vision is geared toward strengthening high-quality food production” to meet the demands of a growing population while positioning the state to achieve the standards required for high-value markets and fresh food exports through air freight.
He added, “Our collective goal is to scale this initiative to ensure that every local government in the state benefits from greenhouse farming. “Through cross-sector partnerships, we aim to expand its reach to more communities while integrating additional value chains, such as fisheries, into greenhouse and cold-chain technology solutions.
“Our mission is to drive a zero-waste, circular and sustainable agricultural transformation across Enugu State’s agrarian zones, starting with the Owo riverine area, to create lasting prosperity for all our rural farmers’ cooperatives.”
