FACAN backs border closure, plans sustainable preservation facilities

The President of Federation Agricultural Commodity Associations (FACAN) Dr. Victor Iyama has thrown his weight behind the Federal Government (FG) partial land borders closure saying effort is being geared towards efficient food storage facilities that will enhance more farmers’ productivity with effective preservation against wastages.

This statement was made yesterday after a closed door meeting held with a foreign partner from Russia.

Dr. Iyama who applauded President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration boldness to putting our economy into test with other African countries through the land borders closure against smuggling of food items Nigeria is capable to produce, pointed that the result has shown a clear evidence on the productivity of our farmers with more income earnings as the country’s economic prowess in Africa also came to light.

Iyama said the government has not actually banned some of the food items like rice, but only wanted the importers to comply with the directive of passing through the sea ports where the appropriate duties and levies shall be paid without defaults adding that the positive effects of the closure is more than its disadvantages thereby wanting an effective food storage and conditioning facilities to be put in place for productivity enhancement in the country.

According to him ‘’ as FACAN is concerned, the border closure should still be left for now as China closed hers for thirty five years. We have only closed it for only about three months. See the tremendous advantages we have recorded especially with farmers’ productivity. The closure has gone to show the whole world that Nigeria’s economy is the main stay of Africa especially West Africa. 

Now most of our local grown crops are now making waves through backward integration production especially rice and there is need for more improvement for us to be more competitive. Yes there are people with the sentiment that we do not have enough to feed ourselves, but my response is that we have enough land to produce more food crops’’

As part of effort towards ensuring sustainability of foods supply in the country Dr. Iyama said that his Association in partnership  with a Russian Agricultural based company is to replicate storage conditioning centres facility for farmers across the regions for food preservation that would checkmate high wastages being recorded by farmers during harvest,  saying  that a memo has been approved in this regards at the recently held National Council Meeting of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) held at Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state early this month.

‘’ The concern of Nigerians was part of the reason we are holding this meeting with our foreign partner as we had visited the facility site in Russia saying that ‘’we are here with our partner from Russia to consolidate our partnership towards establishing a conditioning storage facility that can be used to preserve various foods and crops like vegetables for at least 6-7months to curb 80% wastages. This is even more robust as the FG has approved the memo in this regards at the last council meeting of the FMITI. If 80% of our food wastages are preserved, there will be enough food to consume by our citizens’’ said FACAN President.

Speaking, the  Managing Partner of AGROMIR, Mr. Mikhail Kolchev said this company is ready to give the best of the services to Nigeria through this partnership saying Nigerians  would be trained along all the technical aspects of the installation process adding that materials for the projects would be locally sourced where necessary.