What are the Agricultural products Nigeria exports?

Nigeria is known as an Oil producing country and it sure makes a lot of money from the oil industry, but in as much as the sector is responsible for contributing immensely to the GDP, it is not the only natural resource that keeps the Nigerian Economy moving.  Agricultural products also contribute to the Nigerian economy, it does not only provide and supply food to Nigerians but also export crops and fruits to other countries as well.

According to Naij.com, “the agricultural sector is considered the strongest and most developed branches of the economy in Nigeria. Up to 30% of the population is engaged in this industry”. Across the country, you will find small, medium, and large-scale businesses involved in the agricultural sector and given the diverse nature of the Nigerian climate, which varies from tropical and sub-tropical climate, it is easy to grow almost all agricultural products in the every region.

Agricultural products in Nigeria can be divided into two groups namely;

  • Agricultural products produced for national/ local consumption.
  • Product for export.

The article will focus on the top agricultural products that are exported to other parts of the world.

Palm Kernal Oil Extracts

Due to its use in the production of various types of cosmetics, there is a commercial demand for it. Not only can you use it for cosmetic production, you can use it to cook food due to the fact that it contains minerals and proteins.

Sesame Seed

Sesame is in the second place of products that are exported from Nigeria and the country is ranked the 5th largest producer of sesame seeds in the world. This product is usually produced in Benue and Jigawa state as it can not be found in other regions of Nigeria.

Yam

Nigeria started exporting yam in July 2017 when it exported 72 metric tonnes of yam to the UK and US. Nigeria accounts for 61% of the total output of yam in the world, a fact that is credited to the Food and Agricultural Organization.

Cashew Nuts

Nigeria has a high volume of unprocessed raw cashew nuts, and the government is looking at the possibility of processing these nuts before there are exported. At the moment, the unprocessed raw cashew nuts are shipped to Brazil, India, and Vietnam, where they are processed into kernels and then shipped to Northern America or Europe.

Chilli Pepper

Chilli pepper is a spicy component that is on demand in Asia and Africa. This product can be produced all year due to the favorable weather conditions.

Cassava

Nigeria accounts for 20% of the world’s cassava production and about 34% of Africa’s production. Mostly grown in the southern part of the country and it is mainly cultivated by small-scale farmers and is used only by the local population.

Shrimps

With high demand in countries like Portugal, France, Belgium, Spain, and the USA, Shrimps which are being produced in Nigeria for local consumption can also be exported for gains. In recent years, Nigerians have built special farms to produce shrimps which do not only cater for local consumptions but also export to other countries.

 

Ref: Naij.com

 

 

FG releases 5000 improved Cocoa seedlings to Adamawa state farmers

The Federal Government has released 5,000 improved Cocoa seedings to Adamawa Government who are to distribute these seeds to farmers. This was released through the National Cocoa Production Programme.

Mr. Ilyasu Mu’azu, who is the state desk officer, National Cocoa Production Programme said these in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Yola.

Mu’azu said that the distribution of Cocoa seeds was part of the Federal Government economic diversification programme.

“After nursing the 5,000 improved seedlings for the next four months at the National Cocoa Production Centre in Toungo Local Government Area.

“Government will then sell it out to the farmers at subsidized cost to support them to produce more,’’ Mu’azu said.

He also said that government has also provided pesticides, fungicides and spray machines at subsidized rates to the farmers.

Till date, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council had trained over 200 farmers on Cocoa beans processing, packaging, and transportation in 2015 following complaints by farmers in the state.

ref: pmnews.

Why Investing in Agriculture is Important

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello readers,

As human beings, we are constantly seeking for a better life, and to many of us, a better life can mean a lot of things. But as a people, we often overlook the first job man ever did (if we go according to the bible) which is agriculture. Do you know that agriculture gave birth to different types of jobs?

Agriculture is ensuring that edible food is being produced and if man didn’t cultivate the land to produce food, people will starve and die of hunger. Even Abraham Maslow in his theory of motivation listed food as one of the important motivator. Let’s be honest, everyone needs food to start the day and if not at the start of the day, at some point during the day, man must eat.

With a population of over 180 million and an area covering 923,768 km2, Nigeria offers an investment opportunity to anyone who is seeking to invest in the agricultural sector. Aside from local distribution, agricultural produce can be exported to other countries. The GDP from Agriculture in Nigeria increased to 3745091.59 NGN million in the second quarter of 2017 and is expected to reach 5270000.00 NGN million by the end of the 3rd quarter.

The government is currently putting policies in place that will motivate investors to come into this sector. This is the time to come into the agricultural sector as not only will you be making money but will also be providing food to Nigerians.

FG to Optimize Aquaculture For Economic Wealth and Job Creation – Lokpobiri

The Honourable Minister Of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Heineken Lokpkobiri has attended a high level meeting of key leaders and Ministers of Fisheries and Global Seafood Sectors in Iceland.

The concept of the meeting in Iceland is to further enhance the blue Bio-economy, with the aim of optimizing economic use of our oceans and aquatic resources. The theme of the meeting was “ promoting the Blue Bio-economy, making best use of ocean opportunities”. The meeting was organized in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Senator Lokpkobiri who led the Nigerian delegation, in his submission said the present Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has greatly expanded her political momentum that has resulted in the development and promotion of the implementation of the backward integration in aquaculture, thereby increasing wealth creation, economic gains and happy individuals and families in Nigeria today.

The minister said the background and objective of the forum on Bio-economy has over the last decade become a widely used term in global policies which are related to various issues such as food security, sustainable production, and energy needs.

The Blue Bio-economy is the blue sector of the economy, focusing on initiatives and applications being applied in fisheries and fish processing, aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine Biotechnology and other related sectors.

The concept of a “blue economy” came out of the 2012 Rio + 20 conference, this has played an important role in achieving the post-2015 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

The world seafood congress 2017 attracted over 500 seafood professionals from around the globe. There were international expert ,speakers, keynote presentations and industry specific fisheries presentations, panel discussions and workshop sessions.

Lere-Adams, A.B

Acting Director (Information)

FMARD

18-09-2017

Source: http://fmard.gov.ng/fg-optimising-aquaculture-for-economic-wealth-and-job-creation-lokpobiri/

The Prices of Cassava stems reduced by 67%

The price of cassava stems has dropped drastically to N400 per bundle after reach a high of N1200 as demand eases in Nigeria.

In 2016 and earlier 2017, the prices of cassava roots and its derivatives such as garri climbed to an all-time high as demand was higher than supply.

Researchers are still expecting data on demand and supply from the National Bureau of Statistics, but cassava roots moved from N13,000 per ton to about N40,000, according to local buyers.

Cassava is an important crop in Nigeria and the roots are processed to starch, ethanol, flour, and garri—a staple. Other uses include akpu, and lafun. In some communities, the root is boiled and eaten directly.

In 2014, about seven million hectares were planted with cassava, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Most of the varieties planted to cover this hectarage were from the informal sector, says Peter Kulakow, Cassava Breeder with IITA who is also working on the cassava seed systems project.

The Nigerian cassava seed system is not well structured, an arrangement that the project—Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) – is trying to correct.

 

Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/agriculture/agric-news/243196-prices-cassava-stems-reduce-67.html

Nigeria GDP From Agriculture 2010-2017

GDP From Agriculture in Nigeria increased to 3745091.59 NGN Million in the second quarter of 2017 from 3385600.83 NGN Million in the first quarter of 2017. GDP From Agriculture in Nigeria averaged 3687637.99 NGN Million from 2010 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 5035069.06 NGN Million in the third quarter of 2016 and a record low of 2594759.86 NGN Million in the first quarter of 2010.

HISTORICAL

Nigeria GDP From Agriculture

Quarter 3 Forecast

GDP From Agriculture in Nigeria is expected to be 5270000.00 NGN Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate GDP From Agriculture in Nigeria to stand at 3687757.53 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Nigeria GDP From Agriculture is projected to trend around 591000.00 NGN Million in 2020, according to our econometric models.

Nigeria GDP From Agriculture

Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/gdp-from-agriculture

Borno Farmers are expecting a bumper harvest

Nigerians are happy that the economy has come out of recession and so are the Borno farmers who are more than excited that they will be getting a bumper harvest this season.

Borno farmers have expressed optimism that they are set to record a bumper harvest in the 2017 cropping season. They commended the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for supporting displaced farmers to return to their farms.

According to a report by the News Agency of Nigerian (NAN), thousands of displaced farmers supported by FAO cultivated their farmland in Maiduguri and other liberated communities.

Some farmers in Maiduguri and Jere Local Government area told NAN that they were happy and anticipating bumper harvest this season.

FAO also partnered with other implementing partners to distribute seeds and fertilizers to more than one million farmers this cropping season in the North East.

It was also gathered that the military also helped in safeguarding the farmlands as Borno state has been devastated by Boko Haram attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

Farmers tells Federal Government to ban Maize Importation

On Tuesday, the Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Society (NFFCS), urged the federal government to come up with a time line to ban the importation of maize into the country.

Redson Tedheke who is the group’s National Coordinator said in an interview with the news agency of Nigeria that the ban will protect local farmers which will directly boost local production of the Agric produce.

According to him, the only way you can encourage local farmers to produce more of maize is to protect them by banning the importation of maize which can be produced locally into the country. “you cannot tell people to go to the farm and then allow massive importation of the same thing they are conveniently producing. we feel the insincerity of purpose, and we are telling the government that if you allow continuous importation of maize, you are actually working against those you urge to go to the farm. The Nigeria farmers group, have 2000 hectres of maize farm across the nation, and it is still cultivating more,” he said.

He also said that some Agro-businesses in Nigerian were importing large quantities of maize at relatively “low landing cost”. Although maize is not currently on Nigeria’s import prohibition list, there is a need to curb excessive importation to protect local producers. An action that will help the economy to grow from within.

If Government does not step in quickly, local production of maize will be eradicated and lost to importation which will cause more harm to the nation’s economy as jobs and internally generated revenue will be eroded.

An example Mr.Tedheke gave is a company that shipped in a huge vessel of maize from abroad to be sold at about ₦40,000 per tonne while locally produced maize is between ₦130,000.00 and ₦250,000.00. What this means is that it is cheaper to buy imported maize than buying locally produced maize.

He noted that the cost of imported maize was relatively low because the government of those countries that maize was imported from provided the necessary support and protection to their farmers.

He said if the group is properly supported, it has the capacity to produce 50,000 tonnes of maize quarterly.

“The India government, for example, subsidised agriculture by providing tractors, seedlings, funding and other relevant support and that largely reduced the cost of production for its farmers.

“If the Nigerian government does not want the price of locally produced maize to go beyond a certain level, let it subsidise its production in the best interest of our economy.”

The Nigeria Farmers Group and Cooperative Society is a rural community-based farming initiative with farms spread across Nigeria and its mission is `farm to feed Nigeria’ and creates employment in the process.

ref: www.premiumtimesng.com

Why you should consider Agriculture as an area of Investment

Ever since the international market price of crude oil started diminishing at a rapid rate, various countries including Nigeria have focused their energy on developing other sectors whose input will help drive revenue.

The government of the day understands that if the country does not diversify the economy, it might face a serious economic meltdown, hence its focus on agriculture.  Agriculture has the potentials of giving the investor high returns and also help contribute immensely to the GDP of the country

As providing huge revenue to the investor and country at large, it also helps in reducing the unemployment rate. Those who key into the agriculture business early enough will be the greatest beneficiaries in that industry as they will be industry leaders in the near future.

The reasons to venture into the agricultural sector are listed below. Note there are more reasons, but we feel the ones mentioned below are important.

A Gold Mine for the smart ones.

Smart entrepreneurs should invest in comprehensive market research to know the agricultural products that are fast selling and the ones that are not selling, the ones that will make you a lot of money and the ones that won’t. It is important to know the level of demand for these agricultural products and know if supply is limited or not. Ability to identify a niche agricultural product will help the investor get a higher ROI before that aspect of agriculture becomes saturated.

The Government policies are favoring agriculture.

As the government is preaching diversification of the economy, especially diversification into agriculture. The government wants to grow the economy from other sectors aside from the oil sector therefore, they are putting up policies that will make doing business in this area easy and investor friendly. It is wise to take advantage of this friendly policies now before it changes.

Demand for food products

People will always be hungry, hence the soaring demand for food. Since the demand for food is high, investors will be sure to reap the reward of their investment. In a country of over 190 million people, making money from this sector is guaranteed.

Land Appreciation

Over the years, the land you use for your agriculture business will appreciate over the years in value. Not only do you make only revenue from your product, but your net worth also rises as the years passes by. One way or the other, you win.

Employment 

With the high rate of unemployment, investing in agriculture will definitely drive down the unemployment rate

 

Before the everyone jumps onto the band wagon, it will be smart to be one of the early birds who take advantage of investing in the agricultural sector.

Low Cocoa Production not acceptable- Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that time has come for Nigeria to take its rightful place again in Cocoa production; to reduce over reliance on already shrinking oil revenues, adding that the continued decline of the commodity will no more be acceptable.

Buhari noted that before now, cocoa was the second largest foreign exchange earner for Nigeria after crude oil where over two million direct and indirect jobs were created along the value chain.

He said: “It is unfortunate that the sector has suffered neglect as a result of over reliance on crude oil, this has also unfortunately led to decline in the country’s annual production from 420,000 metric tonnes in the 60s to 192,000 metric tonnes in 2015, a situation that is no more acceptable to government.”

The Nigerian President said this on Monday in his keynote address to the opening ceremony of the First International Cocoa Summit holding in Abuja.

Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbe, said government is very worried that the decline of Cocoa has moved the nation from her 4th position to 7th position in global Cocoa production.

He said that the country is long overdue to make the shift from being primarily an exporter of commodities and raw materials to becoming an industrial economy.

“Our Industrialisation ambition is hinged on the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) launched by the previous government of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014; it is now time to move that comprehensive document from the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in view of current realities.”

He appealed to Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria goods and services as a way of encouraging the industries to grow the economy.

He called on the organisers of the summit to use it as a vehicle to instil confidence in local and foreign investors to invest in the Nigerian economy, and create a more robust and better competitive market for Cocoa subsector.

Earlier in her address, the Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, said the theme of the summit, “Cocoa a Strategic commodity for National Economic Development,” underpins the nucleus of the present administration’s change Agenda. This intends to continue with policies aimed at diversifying the nation’s economy away from a mono-economy dependent almost entirely on revenue from oil exports to Agriculture, solid minerals and services.

 

 

Source: https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/8909/decline-nigerias-cocoa-production-acceptable-buhari