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Agriculture Minister thinks Yam export is illegal but necessary

In a bid to diversify the economy, Nigeria started exporting yams from June 29, 2017.

The first Nigeria Yam Export was launched in June and 72 metric tonnes of yams were exported from Nigeria to Europe and the United States of America.

However, things went bad as the US rejected the yam export from Nigeria, saying they are of poor quality.

This was despite the fact that a number of parastatals, some of which are Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), were charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the yams exported were properly checked and certified.

Reacting to the development, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, promised to investigate both the exporting company and officials of the Ministry’s Department of Quarantine.

“Some consignments of yams were exported from Nigeria to the United States, and according to reports, they were found to be of low quality”.

“We will be investigating both the company that exported it and our Quarantine Department, to check and find out why such a consignment left here”.

The export of Yams violates the Export Prohibition Act, which prohibits the export of items like yam and a few other food items.

The Minister explained this saying

“It’s a law of 1989. It was passed in the belief that it is only by preventing export that you can make food items more available. We have a different philosophy – to grow more food. So, the law will be repealed”.

The Minister on twitter posted that over 30% of the yams produced in Nigeria rot away.

Also, Food and Agriculture Organisation said Nigeria accounts for 61% of yam production in the world. As a matter of fact, Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of Yam.

Africans in the United States make up about 12% of the total population of Americans. Therefore, they consume yams more especially when they desire to enjoy African delicacies and they have to visit African Kitchens and Resturants.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh has said that the yams exported to the United States was rejected because it got bad as a result of the fact that it spent a long time before it got there.

“I read some news report about some yams arriving in Britain and being rejected. They stayed so long en route and if they stay that long, they are bound to rot”.

Mr Ogbe who said the Federal Government will not relent in its efforts added that

“We will continue to help exporters and we will not as an institute export yams. We only support the private sector to do that and if there are problems, we will solve them”.

“It happens to yams from Ghana as well. We will not stop the policy of the exportation of yam. I can assure you that”.

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