By Okhide Em’ya David
Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has lamented the high rate of killings of innocent farmers, by dreaded Fulani herdsmen which the Commission says has led to poor harvests or low production of farm produce in Edo state, and Nigeria at large.
Benin Export Assistance Officer of NEPC, MacPherson Fred-Ileogben, while addressing some clusters in export marketing especially on how to take their local products to International markets in Benin city, said a lot of farmers have lost their resources and lives, families, as a result of herdsmen killing and COVID-19 pandemic.
Fred-Ileogben, who is also the Head /Trade Promotion Advisor, Benin office bitterly complained about scarcity of funds and some of the external challenges affecting the farmers, adding that “within limited funds they will need to work hard to bring change to the agency.”
“The external challenges include insecurity threatening our exporters, killing of farmers by Fulani herdsmen and wastage of their products as well as Covid-19 pandemic. They affect supply chains of market and raw materials the farmers and Exporters need to process their farm produces.”
“The whole world has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis. We are now talking about Post Covid-19 era. What we are trying to do now is to develop the Pineapple Sector. Pineapple products are in high demand in the International market. Ghana and Ivory Coast and many others are already massively investing in that sector. “
“Nigeria is still struggling and we are appealing to the federal government to encourage farmers by providing improved seedlings for them. Edo State is the largest producer of Pineapple in Nigeria. What we are doing is to identify the market, organize capacity building training programme for farmers and exporters in the state.”
Benin branch of NEPC, he said is also “working on the global gap, which is a process to enhance the acceptability of our food products in International markets.”
Fred-Ileogben added that they were training the farmers on the growing fruits and vegetables while working with them to ensure more of their members are certified to do the business.
On the functionality of the agency, Fred-Ileogben, said the Nigerian Export Promotion Council NEPC, is the cheapest institution saddled with the duty to promote, develop and diversify export in Nigeria.
