Nigeria Set To Export Pineapple To Italy

The Federal Government’s bid to boost non-oil exports has received a boost as the country will soon begin the export of pineapple in commercial quantity to Italy, Poland and other European countries.
The development is the outcome of measures put in place by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council to maximise the potential of the non-oil sector through investments, capacity development, innovation and formidable partnerships.

The General Manager, San Carlos Farm, Mr. Obiorah Ugwo, while speaking during a facility tour at Liberty Estate, Independent Layout, Enugu, on Tuesday by officials of NEPC, said there were huge potential for the country through the exportation of agricultural products.

The 150-hectare farm is a joint venture between the Enugu State Government and Mexican farming conglomerate, San Carlos.

Approved by the Enugu State Government in 2012, the JV, which is estimated to cost the sum of $29m (N4.9bn), was established for commercial production of pineapple for both local consumption and export purposes.

Ugwo said owing to the potential of the agricultural sector as a huge foreign exchange earner, the company has decided to venture into integrated farming through the introduction of banana and livestock, particularly cattle rearing.

He said, “This is a joint venture and initially, it was planned to cost about $29m and we are still operating on that even though the Naira has been unstable and the government has kept faith with their own side of the bargain and that is why the project has gone this far.

“As at December 2014, we did the test export to Italy and as at now, we have about four orders to be serviced and it depends on how we harvest from our fields.
“We have orders from Poland, Germany, two from Italy and we have so many that we are even rejecting because we cannot service them.

“On the export angle, the experience was tough because it was tough learning on the job and by now, we have got all the certification that we need courtesy of Nigerian Export Promotion Council.”
He said there was the need for the government to address some of the challenges facing the exports of the product to other countries.

The Head, Public Relations, NEPC, Mr Joe Itah, said the agency would continue to promote non-oil exports owing to the challenges faced by oil in the international market.
He said, “We have a responsibility of promoting non oil exports anchored on our cardinal point of market information and trade facilitation.

“It is through the efforts of NEPC that people would be able to see the processes  that our products go through to meet the standards.
“We are also bringing synergy, and it is only in NEPC taking the lead in terms of showing them the standards to meet that we can boost non oil exports and increase inclusive growth by adding value to lives, create jobs and reduce the level of crime through youth restiveness.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/nigeria-set-to-export-pineapple-to-italy-others/

Firm to export agrochemicals to Ghana

Nigeria’s agricultural inputs development and distribution company –The Candel Company Limited – is set to commence the export of its made-in-Nigeria agrochemical products to Ghana.

The Chairman, Candel Group, Mr. Charles Anudu, disclosed this during a statutory plant inspection and assessment of the firm’s factory located at the Lekki Free Trade Zone by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana.

According to a statement from the firm, Anudu revealed that the plant, which was inaugurated barely three months ago, now had the capacity to export crop protection chemicals and foliar fertilizers to Ghana.

He said, “As a company, we have been operating in Ghana for about 15 years, trading in agrochemical products made for us in Asia and Europe, but now we want to export our made-in-Nigeria products which are made with the context of the West African farmer as the focus. We will supply our own distribution network as well as private customers in that market.”

Assuring the visiting regulatory agency of the quality of Candel agrochemical products, Anudu noted that quality was of utmost importance to the company. ‘’We ensure that the quality of the chemical content in our bottle is exactly as written on the label. Our approach to quality is a holistic one which includes the quality of the content as well as the packaging,’’ he stated.

The Managing Director, The Candel Company Limited, Mr. Emmanuel Kattie, stated that the company’s innovative Research & Development unit had produced the foliar fertilizer for Cocoa which both feed the cocoa crop while protecting its pods from the dreaded Black Pod disease”.

He added that the firm had a new Maize herbicide that does not contain Atrazine thereby resolving the underground water problems associated with this active ingredient.

Speaking shortly after the plant inspection, the Head of Chemical Control & Management Centre of EPA, Ghana, Dr. SamAdu-Kumi said, ‘’Most of the Agrochemical products that come into our country are substandard.

In our sub-region, we only have one factory. Candel’s plant and standards are a welcome development that will help boost the economy of Nigeria and trickle down to other West African countries.
http://www.punchng.com/business/industry/firm-to-export-agrochemicals-to-ghana/

Agency Proposes 344,000 Jobs From Cashew Processing

 A recent study by the United States Agency for International Development has estimated that an increase in cashew processing in Nigeria can lead to additional $75m revenue and 344,000 jobs.

Nigeria is one of the West Africa’s largest producers of cashew and the sixth largest producer in the world.

But with the production of   raw cashew nuts estimated around 120,000 MT annually, only about 20 per cent of raw cashew nuts are processed into kernels, stakeholders observed during a recent workshop on the cashew sector.

In the workshop themed, ‘Cashew business competitiveness and environmental sustainability,’ which was sponsored by the USAID West Africa Trade Hub Network Project; the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and hosted by the African Cashew Alliance, the stakeholders observed that the cashew sector had the potential to bring about great economic success.

They noted however that the sector was bedeviled by challenges including aggressive export demand; high raw material prices; exchange rate issues; lack of loan facilities for processing; factory closure, job losses among other challenges.

According to them, two key issues that are crucial to the success and future of the Nigerian cashew sector are business competiveness and environmental sustainability.

In his presentation during the workshop, the Business Advisory Manager, African Cashew Alliance, Sunil Dahiya, noted that cashew processing generated a significant amount of waste throughout processing stages adding that the pollution represented a serious threat to the competitiveness of local processors.

He said, “As international buyers increasingly request compliance with environmental standards, the industry must include more efficient technology and better practices.

“Global competitiveness will also require the tightening of food safety and quality standards and the accessibility of market linkages for local processors. Failing to capture this added value and secure a stable future for the industry means a loss of foreign exchange and a loss of essential jobs in the economy.”

http://www.punchng.com/business/industry/agency-proposes-344000-jobs-from-cashew-processing/

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