The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), organized a workshop to achieve the enormous task of repositioning yam as an export crop amidst challenges facing the commodity.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, in an address during the workshop themed, ‘Repositioning Yam as an Export Crop’ held in Abuja, lamented that though Nigeria is the leading producer of fresh yams, but despite the huge production, Nigeria is nowhere on the map of countries that export yams.
Umakhihe, who was represented by the Director, Federal Department of Agriculture, Engr. Abdullahi Abubakar, expressed that the essence of the workshop was to ensure that the yam subsector is repositioned for better export as agribusiness is now the center of attraction.
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He narrated that in 2020, the contribution of Nigeria to global yam production was 67 percent, while Ghana contributed 10 percent, but Ghana remains the second highest world exporter of yam for over ten years and the highest in West Africa with 94 percent of the annual export contribution.
“If we must have sustainable food security for our teeming population of over 200 million Nigerian people and have enough to export to other countries, there is a need to critically examine the factors militating against quality production and export of our major commodities, of which yam is one of them.”
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“It, therefore, becomes imperative to put Nigeria in its right position by considering its contribution to global production.” Umakhihe added
The National President of the Yam Farmers and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Prof. Simon Irtwange, while commending the Ministry for organizing the workshop, expressed optimism that it would become an annual event.
