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• As China Requests For Dry Yam
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh has facilitated the inauguration of a technical working committee to fast track the exportation of Yam by July.
This is just as the Chinese government are requesting for the exportation of dry Yam.
The Minister, while inaugurating the committee in Abuja, said Nigeria is one of largest producers of yam, accounting for 61.7per cent of the world production, with over 60 varieties, but unfortunately the country is not among yam exporters.
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Ogbeh, who assured that the exportation would not in any way affect local consumption, said government would scale up intervention in the yam production, as farmers in the country are willing to increase production to meet both local demand and export purpose.
He lamented that Ghana, which produces far less than any yam producing state in Nigeria, has taken over the European market. He said, “Ghana is controlling Africa’s yam export market in Europe. I am not sure if Ghana produces as much yam as any state of the federation.”
Ogbeh noted that the private sector driven committee was deliberate in order to guide the government on how to get a fair share of the world’s market.
He pointed out that all the yam consumed in the United States are exported from Ghana and a tuber of yam is as high as $15, lamenting that Nigeria has not been participating in the programme and many others.
The Chairman of the committee, Prof Simon Tsange said they have been doing underground work on the programme, adding that the committee would ensure that in six months time, Nigerian yam would hit the international market.
