He also said it became necessary to ensure the yam subsector is repositioned as agribusiness is now the centre of attraction, and added that when consciousness on yam export it would boost wealth creation, increase income for farmers and job creation.
Meanwhile, the Ministry’s Scribe expressed optimism that Nigeria can earn six times more than Ghana based on her production capacity.
He, therefore, stressed that to achieve the enormous task of repositioning yam for as an export crop, deliberate action must be made to take yam production, processing and marketing to the next level in line with international best practices.
He said: “Nigeria is the leading producer of fresh yams, yet it is unfortunate to note that despite the huge production, Nigeria is nowhere on the map of countries that export yams.
“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.”
It, therefore, becomes imperative to put Nigeria in its right position by considering its contribution to global production.”
However, pointed that “In 2020, Nigeria contributed 67 per cent, while Ghana 10 per cent to global output. However, Ghana remains the second highest world exporter of yam for over ten years and the highest in West Africa with 94 per cent to annual export contribution.”
In a goodwill message, the National President, Yam Farmers and
Marketers Association of Nigeria, Prof Simon Irtwange, commended the
Ministry for organizing the workshop and hoped that it would become an
annual event.
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