Chief Audu Ogbeh |
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has pledged support for yam producers,
saying the country is pushing to become the number one exporter of the
commodity in the world.
He made this allusion wednesday at the end of the meeting with the technical committee on Nigerian Yam Export Programme.
Beginning from next week, Nigeria will
export 72 metric tonnes of yam to the United Kingdom and the United
States in three containers. The consignment would be exported via Apapa
Port.
Assuring the exporters of government’s support, Ogbeh said Nigeria accounts for 60 per cent of global yam production.
“We must sell all whatever we can to the world. We account for over 60 per cent of yam production, yet people do not know that we grow yam,” Ogbeh said.
Because attention has been paid more on importation, he said Nigeria, unlike Ivory Coast, does not have export terminal.
He said while Ghana’s projection on yam
export is impressive, Nigeria can comfortably quadruple that if it keeps
pushing to become number one in yam export.
Expressing optimism that Nigeria would
soon take a prime position in yam export, the minister asked the
Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to reduce the inspection
charges so that it can be competitive in the export market.
To make yam export competitive, he vowed to work on the packages and the right types of trucks to be used for transportation.
He also tasked the yam export committee on mechanised heap making. He underscored his quest against the backdrop that “we have to mechanise
heap making. Otherwise, in five years, you will not find people to do
heap making.”
While giving assurance of government
support, he said the prototype may be costly, but government will fund
it, adding to stay ahead of the crisis that will definitely come the
problem must be anticipated.
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