The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said that Nigeria is one of the highest exporter of yam and ginger and has the best quality ginger in the world.
The minister made this known in Abuja on Thursday at the Africa International Investment Summit and Expo (Africinvest) 2018, which also featured the Commodities International Summit and Exhibition.
With the fact that Nigeria ginger is considered as the best in the world, Ogbeh said that the Federal government is promoting the export of ginger and Nigeria is the third largest exporter of ginger after China and India government.
Ogbeh, who was represented by Alhaji Azeez Olumuyiwa, the Director, Agric Business Processing and Marketing, said that President Muhammadu Buhari launched a time bound aggressive plan to unlock Nigeria’s agricultural potential through the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) 2016 to 2020.
According to him, this is called the Green Alternative which is meant to provide a disciplined approach to building a resilient agribusiness ecosystem.
“This will solve the core issues at the heart of limited food production and delivery of quality standards,’’ Ogbeh said.
He stated that the engagement of market place participants, farmers, states, investors, financial institutions and communities as well as research laboratories were instrumental to the success of the policy.
The minister also disclosed that in first quarter of 2017, agricultural export increased by 82 per cent over quarter fourth of 2016 levels.
He said that there was frozen shrimp export of N2.2 billion to the Netherlands, cashew nuts export of N1.8 billion to Vietnam and crude palm kernel oil export of N1.2 billion to the Netherlands.
On the Africinvest 2018, the minister said that the gathering was in the quest by the present administration to boost agricultural production, self-sufficiency, food security and investment in the sector.
Mr Anglo Elosia, the Chairman and Chief Coordinator of the Expo said: “We look at various ways by which under this platform, we can identify first of all our natural resources and all human resources.’’
“We then harness them together from nation to nation,’’ he said. (NAN)