Dr. Obiora Madu, Director-General of the African Centre for Supply Chain, highlighted that Nigeria’s agricultural export potential is hindered by factors such as lack of quality testing and inadequate packaging, despite the sector’s policy priorities. He emphasized the importance of quality testing to meet international standards and access global markets. Additionally, he stressed the need for more cold storage facilities and increased access to advanced technologies to mitigate post-harvest losses.
He emphasized that without stringent quality control measures and improved packaging, Nigerian agricultural products would struggle to meet international standards and compete in global markets. Addressing deficiencies in testing laboratories, specialized cold storage facilities, and packaging infrastructure is crucial to reducing losses in agricultural exports. He noted that while other exporting countries have upgraded their testing, packaging, and storage facilities, Nigeria also faces expensive logistics, resulting in higher export costs compared to other nations.
He highlighted that other countries benefit from superior packaging, which enhances the global demand for their products.
Victor Iyama, President of the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN), stressed the need for an increase in agricultural exports and called on the government to establish export clusters to ensure focused processing and higher output. He emphasized that a surge in rural demand could catalyze economic growth.
He observed that rising prices of agricultural commodities have opened up export opportunities, suggesting that if these prices remain stable in different grain markets, farmers could potentially reap the benefits of higher prices.
