An industrialist, Mr. Durodola Omolewa Kuteyi, has appealed to the Federal Government to effect ban on export of grains, either crushed or uncrushed in order to stabilise the agro-allied industries.

Kuteyi, the Managing Director of Spectra Industries Limited, Lagos, who linked the scarcity of maize, soybeans and others, which are raw materials to agro-allied industries, linked the export of the produce to the closing down of a good number of these industries, while in others, workers are being retrenched.

He said: “We process soybeans, sorghum, and maize, but for sometimes now, it has not been easy getting these raw materials, despite the fact that we are in the harvesting season.

“The scarcity is due to the export of these raw materials, to feed the factory of those countries where they are being exported to and create employment for their citizens.”

He lamented that while the industries in Nigeria are closing down and retrenching workers, some industries are set up by foreigners only to crush soybeans in the name of value addition and export, thereby, depriving the livestock farmers from getting the raw materials needed for running the industry, and making it difficult for poultry and fish famers from continuing their businesses.

“So, our suggestion is to effect ban on export of grains, either crushed or uncrushed in order to stabilize the agro-allied industries. When we say crushed grains, we mean extraction of oil and cake or flakes.”

“The cake and flakes are used as ingredient in the preparation of chicken feed as source of protein and as raw material in other industries. When these grains and soybean products are exported, we will end up importing to survive,” he said