The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has called on those who are criticizing the yam export initiative of the federal government to see opportunity rather than disaster in the initiative.
Ogbeh who made this call in a speech to mark the 50th anniversary of IITA in Ibadan, Nigeria noted that Nigeria was now exporting yam and would continue to do so as there were gains inherent in the initiative.
According to the Minister,” I am no more worried about yams, we are exporting yams and we intend to continue to export yams and in reaction to those who are panicking, I say, let us see opportunity and not a disaster. Our yams has been going abroad for the last 20 years through Ghana, they are labeled Ghana yams.
“Nigeria accounts for 61% of the world’s total output for yams, 30% of yam are wasted due to lack of preservation facilities, we will respond. For those who are panicking, my request to them is, join in growing yams not destroying it”.
On cassava flour, he said,” I would like to say on cassava, President Olusegun Obasanjo used to sit at night in the Villa talking about the prospects of cassava. One step taken at that time was the laws by the National Assembly insisting that 20% of bread will be from high quality cassava flour. Now, this is absolutely necessary because even Brazil, which is one of the world’s leaders in Wheat, includes 20% of cassava flour in bread”.
Contributing, a former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was the Chairman of the event observed that for the yam export initiative of the federal government to take its root, there was the need for the government to establish standard certification centres where these products for export would be certified and standards set adding that that was what was obtainable the world over and Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind.
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