By editor
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has reaffirmed commitment of Federal Government to triple revenue generation in the non-oil section in the next 18 months.
NEPC’s commitment came even when Nigeria lost over N21 billion worth of agricultural commodity through the porous borders to neighboring countries in 2022 alone, available record shows.
NEPC new Executive director, Nonye Ayeni gave the intention while addressing exporters and other stakeholders in the industry on interactive session in Kano.
Ms Ayeni intimated the stakeholders the Federal government readiness to addressing difficulties hindering the smooth promotion of exportation from Nigeria, adding that NEPC is prepared to encourage more players in the industry.
Essentially, the new boss disclosed that government is streamlining 15 agro-products from farm beat to Market thereby boosting the production and export viability. The produces include Sesame seed, Peanut, Cashew, Soghum, Beans, Hibiscus flowers and host of others.
Although, Ayeni reminded that initiative does not intended to ignore other equal products, she revealed that special attention will be focused on the selected products while all bottlenecks will be eased to facilitate their smooth export.
The executive director stressed that Federal government is working to support establishment of processing manufacturing companies to add value to agro products, to enable job creation, diversification of economy and boost foreign earnings.
She added that actualization of its core mandate on diversification of Nigerian economy through promotion and development of non oil products for export resonate with the renewed hope of present administration is sacrosanct.
On rejection of Nigeria’s products abroad, the NEPC boss told the stakeholders that government will soon established laboratories and package and aggregation centres at Free Trade Zones to facilitate standard of products before export.
” We are working to set up foundation factory and laboratory centres at our Free Trade Zones to address challenges of rejection and low quality of our products. We have set a target of 18 months to make a different in the nation’s export.
” We are going to streamline 15 agro products and taking from farm beat to market. Remove all the bottlenecks and challenges mostly face during export. By so doing, we hope to triple Nigeria revenue generation while creating more jobs and provoking industrialization.
” We must also begin to add value to our products before export and that is the agenda and mandate of the federal government we must hold tenaciously. We have taken note of all the challenges of the stakeholders and I can promise that we are going to try our best to resolve them”.
Exporters at the interactive session raised series of concerns burdering on multiple taxation, cumbersome process and bottlenecks on products certification, as well as challenges of products rejection. The stakeholders applauded the plan establishment of laboratory which that said would ease the multiple difficulties face at the port.