The Nigerian government has banned foreigners from buying agricultural products directly from farmers, writes Mary Izuaka on theheraldghana.com. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a ban on foreigners and their representatives buying agricultural products at the farm gate .
Now only licensed and properly registered local purchasing agents will be able to buy produce directly from farmers.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Nii Adebayo said that foreigners go to the farm gate to buy produce from farmers at low prices. Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES, Ibrahim Kabir, national president of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), welcomed the decision, which he said was due to foreign middlemen dumping, “I know that in the Kano area some Lebanese and Chinese go to our farms to buy something at a low, minimal price.
However, some Nigerians are concerned about the implementation of the new policy believe the decision could limit the market.
“Let the market work freely. Whoever knows the way to the market, let them go. Local farmers should be able to make international contacts and sell directly,” said Twitter user farmer Ahmed Tijani.
Earlier, Nigeria said it is strengthening relations with the European Union in the field of agriculture and research, according to newsdiaryonline.com. The Nigerian side asked for help from the EU to develop the agro-industrial sector to fight poverty.
Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said that “…Nigeria wants to become an industrialized country, to become self-sufficient to feed its large population, to create jobs and to reduce poverty to a minimum. The federal government, led by President Mohammadu Buhari, intends to lift one hundred million Nigerians out of poverty in the next decade, and there are areas in agro-industry science, technology and innovation that will benefit both sides. The country is ready to work with the European Union to ensure that the desired goal is achieved.
The European Union could invest in areas of Nigeria’s AIC such as nanotechnology, fintech, engineering, and agriculture.