The Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) will be showcasing Nigeria’s processed farm produce at the on-going European Development Day summit, taking place at Brussels, Belgium.
According to AFEGEAN, eight producers will be representing Nigeria and exhibiting about 40 value added products at the summit with women accounting for 90 percent of them.
Some of the produce exhibited includes; dried fruits, plantain flour, yam flour, smoke catfish fillet, beans flour and dried pumpkin leaves, among others.
“The ideal of our exhibiting at the summit is to showcase Nigerian processed produce at the international market and also showcase a handful of Nigerian producers, particularly women running small businesses,” Akin Sawyerr, executive secretary, AFEAN told BusinessDay.
“We are trying to show Europe that there are producers in Nigeria who can produce processed fruits and vegetables in a way that is appealing to the European market.
“The produce will be showcase to people who are already in business that may want to bulk buy from Nigerian producers and redistribute through their own chains,” Sawyerr said.
He commended DHL for their continuous support and for airlifting the exhibited produce to Brussels for free, while calling on the government to ease the processes for export requirements.
Producers exhibiting at the summit are; Sofi Foods, Kaptain Foods, Omonidde Farms Limited, Reel Fruit, Delitz, Kalos Farms, Aace Foods, and Etal Farms.
Detoun Abbi-Olaniyan, director general, AFGEAN Farmers Market and also an exhibitor at the summit said that the initiative was made possible owing to the collaborations among various stakeholders within and outside the association.
Abbi- Olaniyan stated that the organisation will continue to create market access for the country’s agricultural products both locally and internationally.
Also speaking, Tajudeen Dantata, president of AFGEAN said that the initiative is in line with the Federal Government export drive, adding that the association is ensuring that the produce meet standards.
“We are working closely with global gap to make sure that we are using generally acceptable processes in terms of farming, harvesting, processing and exporting of agricultural produce,” Dantata said.
“We are happy to see that our women have embraced this and are making a good head way in exporting their produce, while playing a crucial role in the country’s agriculture,” he added.
He noted that the association is proud to have achieve this objective, adding that with this Nigeria’s agricultural produce can be seen in most super markets in Europe.
Speaking on the partnership between AFGEAN and DHL, Abayomi Adetola, cargo manager, Sub-Sahara Africa for DHL Aviation Nigeria Limited, said that the partnership is to drive export of agricultural produce in the country especially for fresh produce.
Adetola said that fresh produce exports from Nigeria are low compared to other West African countries.
“Nigeria is mainly an importing nation and we hardly export. Most cargo airlines that come into Nigeria drop their goods and go back near empty. Most times they go to other West African countries to pick perishable to fill up their cargo flights back to Europe,” he said.
“We have seen some changes now especially with the recent government drive, people are now asking for the requirements for export. Our export volume from Nigeria has increased but still low when compared to other West African countries,” he further said.
Josephine Okojie
