UK Yam, exporter denies rejection, say they were certified

Lt-Rt- Capt John Okakpu, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Prof. Simon Irtwange & Prience Yandeu Amaabai, Yam Exporter to United State, during the end of the yam exporters’ stakeholders meeting held in Abuja.

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As against the recent report of Nigerian yams rejection recently exported to United Kingdom, the real exporter of the produce Prince Yandev Amaabai has finally cleared the air saying all his consignments were cleared at the United Kingdom (UK) and delivery to the selling ware houses. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh said there was no going back.

 Prince Yandev Amaabai of Wan Nyikwagh Farms Nigeria Limited confirmed to pressmen during the yam committee meeting held in Abuja last week Friday that his consignments were successfully cleared at ports in United Kingdom and America pointed he was surprised at all the newspapers’ report talking about rejection added that the phyto-sanitary certificates to these countries had no problem contrary to news.

Amaabai who frowned at media report on this issue advised that government agricultural policy should be encouraged and promoted than rather being taken in destructive manner, pointed that Ghana  sometimes recorded cases of  tuber damages without  any negative news by her local media.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh has expressed dismay at the negative news trailing the FG efforts on positioning Nigerian  yams into international  market saying “We are not going to stop because this is not enough to demoralize us. We have food to export; never mind what the so called critics are doing. We are going to talk to the port authority to provide cooling vans for vegetables and fresh produce so that exporters do not lose money, while we do not lose face. We should begin to build cold trucks that are temperature-controlled to keep the yams till the time they have to go; we should invest in special containers for their storage. We will go ahead with our efforts to export yam; we are determined to reposition our people to capture the investment opportunities and benefits in yam exports to these countries”

Chief  Ogbeh however appealed to  the National Assembly to speedy  the repeal process of 1989 law prohibiting the exportation of yams and other agricultural produce saying the law contradicts the Federal Government’s goal of diversifying the nation’s economy.

Speaking on Thursday at the end of the yam exporters’ stakeholders meeting, the minister revealed yam export will contribute in no small measure to government’s efforts at diversifying the nation’s economy.

Chief Ogbeh further revealed adequate measures are now been put in place to avert the circumstances that led to the initial rejection of Nigeria’s yam export.

According to him “the Federal government position is that we are exporting yams and we will continue to export yam because we are the biggest producers in the world and we should be the biggest exporter.

The minister further cleared the air on the purported rejection of yams in the UK, stating what happened was actually a lack of facility to preserve the freshness of the yams while packaging and transporting them to the UK.

‘’We are talking, there is a manufacturer now who will be installing conditioner rooms both at the ports and the farms and the mini centres where these things are produced to keep them fresh and to have them packaged properly according to demand standards in Europe and once that is done, the Europeans have no quarrel. The Americans, the Canadians are looking for yams at least the large populations of Nigerians abroad are looking for this.”

“we will continue doing the business, expanding it, we have a team coming from the United Kingdom shortly to sit down with us and discuss export possibilities, I was there 11 days ago and they said that food market is £30 billion and Nigeria is taking just £15 million and they were wondering what we were doing, there is no reason what we can’t take 10 percent and if they need things from us and we can produce those things to their standard, what are we waiting for?”

“The team from U.K will come to Nigeria, spend about a week or more, then they will sit down with Nigerian exporters, they (exporters) will hear from the U.K authorities on how they want these things brought to their country, then whoever fails to meet the standard shouldn’t blame anybody, but also we don’t want Nigeria being embarrassed out there by people who are in a hurry to send things without meeting standards.”