Minister seeks balance between local farmer protection, industrial growth

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite, has called for a balance between local farmer protection and industrial growth. Speaking on her visit to GB Foods in Spain, she said the visit was to showcase Nigeria’s potential in agro-processing and to explore new ways to navigate business challenges and attract investments into the country.
    
According to her, she said the tour of GB Foods’ farm and factory and seeing their 50-year expertise has spurred her into replicating their success in Nigeria, to create jobs and boost local production. She also added that the ministry would be working with concerned stakeholders to review the country’s tomato policy in a bid to support local farmers and processors.
   
“We’re committed to refining our tomato policy to better support companies like GB Foods. This approach will enhance our self-sufficiency in tomato production and processing,” she stated.
     
Revealing that the visit was also to explore investment opportunities through the Spanish Ministry of Economic Trade, the minister said her goal was to bring in more investments like GB Foods to Nigeria, enhance food security and drive economic growth. 
     
It should be noted that earlier in March this year, GB Foods expanded its operations in Nigeria with a 620 metric-tonnes per-day tomato processing plant in Kebbi State on a 1,500-hectare farm, making it the largest tomato factory in Africa. 
    
Insecurity is however still a major problem for the agribusiness sector and industrialisation and this has led to food inflation reaching 40.9 per cent, 100 million food insecure Nigerians and 18.6 million people facing acute hunger.