Th e federal government has disclosed plan to export processed yam products to Britain, the U.S. and the European Union, EU. Th e Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, who disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria yesterday in Lagos, said that the exportation of fresh yam tubers had already started. “Th e target markets are millions of Africans, especially Nigerians in the Diaspora, who want to buy and eat fresh yam. “For those who will prefer yam fl our and pounded yam, the ministry has identifi ed fi ve companies to process yam tubers into those products. “We will get the UK certifi ed standards for the exportation of those yam value chains.
“We will also put in our own checks and balances to ensure that every export meets the set standard. “Th is is to ensure that the processed products are not rejected, once we start to export,” he said. Mr. Ogbeh said that Nigeria was under great pressure to export roasted cashew nuts to Japan and all categories of beans and sesame seeds, among others, to India. He identifi ed lack of organisation and planning as the bane of the nation’s agricultural exports potential. Th e minister, however, said that the ministry was working with relevant agencies to facilitate exportation activities in the agricultural sector. According to him, the ministry is putting modalities in place to ensure that all agricultural products for export meet the highest global standards
Mr. Ogbeh said that the ministry had been sensitising the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to the salient processes involved in the export of agricultural produce and its processed products. According to him, every Nigerian should support the Federal Government in its eff orts to create jobs, wealth and make everybody happy. He assured the citizens that the nascent yam exports would not in any way aff ect local consumptions, noting that most of the yams produced in the country often rot away before the harvest of new ones.
