USDA Partners FACAN on policy formulation

As a means of developing the Nigerian agriculture sector through the provision of favourable policies and work plan, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has shown interest in partnering with the Federated Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN). This was made known by the National Secretary, FACAN, Dr. Bello Nuhu Dogondaji in Abuja.

Dogondagi told foodfarmnews that there was a visit of the Regional Director and Councillor for Nigeria, Benin and Cameroon in Agricultural Affairs in the Embassy of the United States of America, Mr. Garead H. Smith to the Federated Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN).

He said that the meeting was strategic and timely as we are all aware of what is happening in the Agricultural commodity business in the world, especially as it relates to the two major powers in the world economy, the Chinese and the United State of America in agricultural commodities traded.

Said he, “the visit was first of its kind to FACAN, to know what FACAN specifically stands for in Agricultural commodities business in Nigeria, which he saw on ground all the agricultural commodity chairmen and women under the association. Ten of them gave brief of their association activities, Snail, Chilli pepper, Pumpkin, Sunflower, Gum Arabic, Groundnut, Kenaf and others. We discussed widely on the value chains of the commodities, the production, processing and the marketing of those commodities, and we further discussed on inherent challenges; those challenges that can be avoided, those challenges for which we need support from the American Government were discussed.

He continued: “those challenges such as the post harvest handling of agriculture commodities, the storage facilities, most of our agricultural commodities you are aware especially cowpea has been on ban, this is arising from post harvest management, this is why they are banned in Europe; the coffee issue, so along the value chains and across all other commodities post harvest loss is a challenge we need to tackle within and without. Whenever we see somebody who can be of assistance to us we talk, like the person we received, is an important person as far as the value chain is concern, he is into agriculture and he is a counsellor for that matter, and he is a regional counsellor in agriculture affairs so his visits is quite important to us and we have discussed quite a number of things  beyond our expectations because he came in with Dr. Uche and you know Dr. Uche is an active expert in agriculture and especially in the United States Embassy.”

The visitor reportedly said that Nigeria is the hub for other countries to visit in terms of agricultural commodities; he enjoined the members of the association to en-mass to the upcoming event in Accra, Ghana so as to showcase their products within and outside the country.

The President of the National Association of Pepper Producers, processors and Marketers of Nigeria Mr. Mahmoud Mahmoud said that the meeting with the USDA personnel was illuminating and interesting, “in the sense that we have understood that most of the USDA policies toward Nigeria ought to be locally sourced, that means we are to give them the inputs upon which they will work on their policies, and with what he has said, they are having a new approach towards the development agenda: instead of the hands down agenda, now it is hands up agenda in the sense they will pick it up from us and they will follow up with it, which is very interesting, a new vista, a new outlook of the relationship between the United States and Nigeria.”

Mahmoud added that the new approach “would change the whole narrative of how trade is done as rather than the imposing on us as what they are thinking on how we will go about our trade, they are now asking us to tell them what are important for us so that they could help us to make sure that what are important for us are enhanced and developed rather than what they would hand out to us. So it is no longer a hand out issue but rather we bring out our program and they support us.”