Olusegun Awolowo, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has challenged states to come up with exportable products and work closely with it for such exports even as it commences survey of such products in all states of the federation.
Awolowo said on Thursday in Abuja that the federal government is already intensifying efforts on to increase revenue generation from the non-oil sector through zero oil plan and one state one product of the Council,even as the Council has commenced advocacy to states on exportable non-oil products for increased revenue.
The Executive Secretary at the meeting of the National Committee on Export Promotion (NCEP) which is headed Badaru Abubakar, the Governor of Jigawa state said the committee would be addressing concerns of poor development of strategic relationships with large foreign buyers.
The committee also seeks further address of insufficient ties between diplomatic agenda and Nigeria’s exports or markets access agenda market intelligence or foreign buyers and poor standards and packaging for specific exports targeting the European Union,Asia and American markets.
Speaking earlier, Badaru Abubakar, the Governor of Jigawa State said the committee is also working closely with the states ministry of Agriculture towards ensuring farmers produce competitively and qaulitatively.
“We are also working with our qaulity inspectors,who would ensure the right standards for exports are met,while we are also working with railway authorities towards conveying these products at portland for exports.”he states.
Citing example with his homestate Jigawa, he pointed out that:”In Jigawa state for instance,what we do is that we match exporters to farmers,and we have an out grower programme wherein the farmers had target exporters they produce for. You check quality right from the farm.”
He said:”What we intend to do in this meeting today is to listen to exporters,their challenges and also have a complete profile and list of all the exporters,so that we how to encourage them to export some more.,as our low hanging fruits”
On addressing concerns of multiple agencies at the port,he said:”That is why we are hearing out their problems with them,and attending to all these issues,in ensuring that the federal government address all this issues in line with the vision of improving our non-oil exports”
He adds that,”We are talking to those that export mostly agricultural products towards ensuring that we improve our non-oil and bottlenecks in the non-oil exports are reduced to the barest minimum”
