The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, disclosed the need for the Nigeria to revive economic ties with Mexico, stating that this will result in a robust diplomatic relationship, strategic trading as well as rewarding traffic for trade.
Abubakar made this known in his office in Abuja during the visitation of the Mexican Ambassador, Mr. Alfredo Miranda, and his team, adding that Mexico is not just another country with good diplomatic relations with Nigeria, but also a strategic trading partner and the biggest importer of the country’s hibiscus.
The minister decried the suspension of the hibiscus trade that lasted for nearly three years, while recalling that within the space of nine months in 2017, Nigeria earned $35m from the export of 1,983 containers of hibiscus to Mexico.
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He assured that there is no more room for khapra beetle infestation of hibiscus consignments, while commending the Ambassador for his efforts towards ensuring that the compliance issue that stalled the export of Nigeria’s hibiscus to Mexico was resolved during his tenure.
Abubakar promised to ensure that the ministry works closely with off-takers and exporters through the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to facilitate the building of chambers dedicated to methyl bromide fumigation of hibiscus.
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The Mexican Ambassador expressed the delight of his country to do business with Nigeria under the Ministry, explaining that his country is deeply involved in strengthening the capacity of the agricultural sector.
Comptroller General, NAQS Dr Vincent Isegbe, on his own, said that hibiscus is one of the products that Nigeria has been exporting to Mexico until the suspension issue, adding that with the resumption of the new Ambassador, it took only 3 hours to resolve the matter.
