Agric exporters eye $250b yearly

The Nigeria Agricultural Exporter Group (NAEG) is targeting increasd exports to $250 billion yearly.

Its founder, Capt. John Okakpu, who spoke in Lagos, said the group is  taking corrective steps to ensure that the nation increases the quantity of exports and reaches new markets.

He said Nigeria has comparative natural advantages, but needed  collective  efforts  to massively  transform food production, adding that the group has responsibility to grow the economy in terms of generating employment and that the  agric sector is the answer to government needs.

Okakpu said agro exports is an area the  group is   pursuing aggressively, saying to enter into the global market, especially the European and U.S. markets, the Global Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) and other standards must be strictly maintained.

He said GAP is an internationally recognised standard practise by the farmers, or producers by adopting measures to ensure safety and quality food chain.

He  said the group will try to implement  GAP  by   ensuring   that farmers  keep fate with international standards and prevent exports reduction.

He said the group is going to pursue programmes   for the development of Nigeria’s agriculture sector, as well as to assist the stakeholders and entrepreneurs of the industry.

He said it has been challenging for exporters due to capacity constraints at the ports and competition from other exporting nations.

He said the group is determined  to develop agribusiness and contribute to greater food security, saying the potential is high,  especially as Nigeria has  natural resources to become a leading producer and exporter of agricultural products.