The Federal Government Tuesday, revealed that all the noise on Yam Export it made while Chief Audu Ogbeh was the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development during the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari have fizzled out with his ouster.
Otherwise, currently, the country is nowhere in the map of countries that export yam despite being a leading producer of the crop, the Federal Government said on Tuesday.
It, however, stated that this must be addressed, stressing that it was currently collaborating with relevant stakeholders to resuscitate yam export from Nigeria to boost wealth creation and food security.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ernest Umakhihe, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja.
Represented by the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Abdullahi Abubakar, the permanent secretary said the aim of the meeting was to resuscitate the nation’s consciousness on the export of yam.
He said, “Nigeria is the leading producer of fresh yams, yet it is unfortunate to note that despite the huge production, Nigeria is nowhere in the map of countries that export yams.
“If we must have sustainable food security for our teeming population of over 200 million people and have enough to export to other countries, there is a need to critically examine the factors working against the quality production and export of our major commodities, of which yam is one of them.
“It therefore becomes imperative to put Nigeria in its right position by considering its contribution to global production.”
Business Hilights recalls that the collapse of Yam export during the first tenure of this administration stemmed from high spoliation ratio observed especially when products reach export destination. In fact, one of the first set of exports to the US and UK, was turned back by authorities due to massive spoilages.
