 |
| Olusegun Awolowo, CEO, NEPC |
The Executive
Director and CEO of NEPC, Olusegun
Awolowo, stated this at a capacity building programme in Akure, the state
capital. “NEPC is currently working with Adekunle
Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, (AAUA) on ways of increasing the production
and distribution of cocoa seedlings to farmers, while building their capacity
on improved cocoa processing to achieve premium cocoa exports,” he said.
He
stated that the Federal Government had through the NEPC designed a plan to
improve earnings from non-oil exports. He noted that Nigeria’s cocoa production
was competitive until 1984 when the country’s cocoa production began to
decline, adding that Ondo state had much to benefit given her position as the
largest cocoa producer in the country.
“As at 2015, while other African countries could boast of cocoa
production level of 1.7 million metric tonnes, Nigeria’s was hovering around
220,000 to 250,000 metric tons per annum. As the largest producer of cocoa in
Nigeria, Ondo State has a lot to gain from the production, processing and
export of cocoa and its derivatives,” he
said.
He
pledged NEPC’s commitment towards ensuring that all stakeholders in the cocoa
industry worked to make Nigeria derive maximum benefits from the export of
cocoa and its products.
Awolowo
identified key goals of the workshop to include enhancing the quality of
Nigerian cocoa and its acceptability in the international market as well as
sensitising cocoa farmers and dealers on standard practices.
Vice-Chancellor
of AAUA, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun,
said noted that the selection of cocoa as one of the 13 national strategic
export products was a proof of the crop’s relevance to the economic growth of
the country.
He
said political will on the part of government through the provision of funds to
farmers was needed to make Nigeria regain her lost position in global cocoa
production.
In his
remarks, he blamed the decline in Nigeria’s cocoa production on old cocoa
trees, ageing cocoa farmers, non-availability of good quality inputs, high
interest rates on loans and high cost of production in the country. He called
on the NEPC to partner relevant agencies on provision of funds to youths, to
encourage them to go into farming.
Have you heard this? Many Nigerian exporters have been
defrauded of huge amount of money in the process of exporting commodities to
foreign countries. Do you know why? They were not trained on export operations,
management, documentations and the best methods of payment in export trade.
This is terrible!!! Nigerians cannot continue to lose money to foreigners in
the course of export business. Exporters, why don’t you get a practical manual
that teaches the stages of export trade from processing and packaging of commodities
to receipt of payment by the foreign buyers. It teaches export operations,
export management, export documentations and methods of payment in export
trade? It is a contemporary step-by-step guide to export trade. It tells all
the contemporary dynamics in export trade. To get it, click on the link below:
No comments:
Post a Comment