Export of Hibiscus to Mexico to resume soon

 

Hibiscus

The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) says the cuntry will resume the export of hibiscus, popularly known as Zobo to Mexico.
The Coordinating Director, NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe disclosed yesterday in Abuja.
He said that in 2017, Nigeria exported 1,983 containers of hibiscus to Mexico alone and earned $35 million within nine months of that year.
He added that NAQS had initially suspended the export following the detection of storage pest in some consignments from Nigeria.
“The issue has now been taken care of. That is why we are resuming the export of the plant again,:” he said.
He noted that the issue was resolved in collaboration with stakeholders across the value chain, adding that Mexico is the largest importer of Nigerian hibiscus.
“Nigeria is ready to resume export of the plant to Mexico. In a couple of weeks, we will resume shipments.
“Our farmers are eager and the fields are near ready. The harvest season of hibiscus will start any moment from now.
“And the good news is that Nigeria has a vast growing belt, with harvest available all year round.
“We need to take advantage of this opportunity to earn foreign exchange for the country and support the present administration’s diversification of the economy,” he said. Isegbe, however, called on farmers to show more commitment to growing the plant in order to increase their income.

Nigeria can earn from agricultural finished products

Agricultural produce

Over the years, agricultural produce has been exported in its raw form, although it has provided some form of income, it can earn better if it was refined into finished products before being exported.

Nigeria’s can sustain economic growth if it starts to export Agricultural Finished products rather than export the produce in it raw form. In other words, if we can add value to  Agricultural produce in order to make more money.

At an event which took place at Bowen University last week, Chief Dokun Thompson who is the chairman of Eti- Oni Development Group, organisers of annual Cocoa Festival Nigeria said that Nigeria’s sustainable economic growth assurance lies on the exportation Agricultural Finished products and now raw materials, as our tradition over the years has been.

He advised the Government to detach itself from its traditional business orientation of exporting agriculture raw materials resources. He pointed out that when Nigerian mineral resources are export abroad, it is sold back to the country at a higher price.

Government needs to re-strategize on the quota to  export as raw agric produce and what to export as agric finished products. The nation will earn more if it exports agric finished products.

Thompson said there is a lot of advocacy for export of agricultural produce, but nigeria is highly focused on the export of raw material only.

FG to provide more funds to Agriculture- Buhari

President Buhari over the weekend said that the FG which has created measures to diversify the economy will sustain these measures by providing more funds to agriculture in the 2017 budget.

While speaking to reporters in Nairobi, Kenya over the weekend on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), He said African nations had a lot to learn from Japan on the development of the agricultural sector.

According to him, the FG intends to put in more resources in 2017 budget, with focus on the procurement of machinery for land clearing, fertilizers, pesticides and training of less-educated farmers, as farm extension instructors.

He went to say that some success has already been recorded this year in a number of states, as the government identified 13 states that will be self-sufficient in the production of rice, grains, and wheat before the end of 2018.

“We are positive that soon we will be able to export those food products. We are also lucky that the farming season in the northern part of the country has been very good and we are expecting a bumper harvest this year,” the president said.

The president said that African countries should take a cue from Japan in the area of rapid economic growth, hard work and advanced technology and that these factors should encourage Africans to work harder and solve its development challenges.

The President also requested for Japan to increase participation in the Nigerian economy.

Farmers ask FG to set up yam conditioning centres to boost exports

In order to export quality yam produce abroad, the Yam Farmers, Processors, and Marketing Association of Nigeria have appealed to the Federal Government to establish modern yam conditioning centres.

This appeal was made by Prof. Simon Irtwange in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday. Irtwange who is also the Chairman of Technical Committee on Nigeria Yam Export Programme said these proposed centres were needed to enable farmers to store the yams at an appropriate temperature in order to avoid decay.

He said that the centres were also considered necessary as part of efforts to ensure that our yam exports met international standards and prevent being rejected at the international market.

According to Irtwange, the second batch of yam exports to the UK was already under going packaging in Benue for onward trans-loading to the Lagos ports

 

However, Irtwange called on yam farmers to increase yam production to meet local and export demands.

 

How To Export Charcoal Abroad From Nigeria

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone wants to make money but not everyone can get dirty (yeah you heard me right). If I were to ask you if you wanted to make money, you will definitely yes, after all everyone want to be rich, but if I asked can start a charcoal business, only God know what your answer will be. If I were to say for every bag of charcoal you export, you will get some dollars, I am sure I will get a more favorable response (from a few people though).

The charcoal industry in Nigeria is a multi-billion industry which attracts some degree of grants from the government in order to sustain it.

In order to start exporting Charcoal, you need the following;

  1. Have some capital to start.
  2. Register your business with CAC.
  3. Meet the exporting requirements from the government regulatory agencies on charcoal export business.
  4. You need to be equipped with the rudiments of the principles that guide Charcoal export.
  5. Search for foreign buyers
  6. Get a steady supplier to ensure that you do not run out of supplies due to an increase in demand.
  7. Follow the global pricing of the Charcoal and know where it is needed the most so as to establish contacts in those countries.