Nigeria has lost out in agricultural export markets

Dried Cowpea

Published Mar 14, 2024

Tridge summary

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, has highlighted that Nigeria has become a net importer of food, losing its position in agricultural export markets. This was announced during the launch of a $1.2 million programme aimed at improving the export standard of Nigeria’s sesame and cowpea products. The initiative seeks to enhance market access understanding and agricultural practices, as Nigerian exports of these products have previously been rejected in international markets due to non-compliance with Standard Phytosanitary Measures.

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Original content

Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has stated that Nigeria has lost out in agricultural export markets and has become a net importer of food. She stated this during the inauguration of the $1.2 million programme to improve the export standard of Nigeria’s sesame and cowpea products. The ex-Minister of Finance stated that although Nigeria’s agriculture sector has the capacity to significantly boost export diversification and create jobs, many of these opportunities are still untapped due to existing obstacles. The director-general highlighted that trade-related issues on the supply side are part of the reason for Nigeria’s untapped potential, which the project intends to address. She noted that Nigeria is the leading producer and consumer of cowpeas globally and a major producer of sesame, exporting to the EU, Türkiye, Japan, South Korea, and other Asian countries. However, Nigerian exports of cowpeas and sesame have faced increasing ...

Source: Agrifocusafrica