Post by Trade Forum on Sept 4, 2016 10:43:02 GMT 1
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that non-oil exports from Nigeria received global acceptance.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, stated this while closing a three-day workshop of the “Standing Inter-ministerial Technical Committee on Zero Reject Agricultural Commodities and Produce/Non-oil Exports”, yesterday in Abuja.
Lokpobiri, who bemoaned the embargo placed on Nigeria’s agricultural exports by the European Union (EU) was upbeat that the policy action when approved by the National Economic Council would boost the nation’s agro and non-oil exports and by extension bring in foreign exchange.
He also thanked the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for providing the unifying forum for all the agencies.
“There is no more petro dollar; with the reality staring us in the face; we must promote non-oil export. Thank God we have a leader, who has the courage to say that we must return to agriculture and non-oil sector.
“At the end of the day, we will be able to take steps to make EU lift the ban. It may have been because of politics. But the truth was that many agencies were working at cross purposes. It’s quite unfortunate that Nigeria had to be banned,” Lokpobiri said.
Source: www.nigeriatoday.ng/2016/09/export-fg-seeks-zero-reject-of-agric-produce-others/
