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By Henry Uche
The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) and the US Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Services in Nigeria under the Agriculture Desk of the US Consulate in Lagos, have charged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity head-on and invest more in food security.
The groups made this known recently in Lagos during a Breakfast Meeting for NACC and the consulate on “US Mission’s Agric-focused Activities in Nigeria”.
Speaking at the session, the counsellor for Agriculture Affairs, US Consulate in Lagos, Gerald Smith, lamented that insecurity was hampering agricultural yields significantly, hence the need to take decisive and concerted effort to reverse the ugly trend. He commended the Lagos State government over the Imota Rice Mill in Ikorodu, which is expected to commence full production by second quarter of 2022.
“The rice mill is one of the most sophisticated rice plants and we urge other state governments to revolutionise their agricultural sector.”
Smith added that the consulate, together with NACC and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), would undertaker a training/workshop to add value to food safety and security.
He implored all stakeholders with useful ideas that will boost agriculture to offer such ideas, urging NAFDAC to enforce food safety laws. “We shall have a targeted workshop with NACC and NAFDAC for the purpose of getting more from agriculture,” he added.
In a remark, the National President of NACC, Dame Adebola Williams, said one of the key imperatives of the Chamber was to continually engage all departments of the US Mission/Embassy in Nigeria on all trade and development related activities that are relevant to its members, and she would not leave any stone unturned to achieve such goal.
According to her, every aspect of the Chamber: Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, among others, would benefit from the efforts made by the Agriculture Desk of the US Consulate in Lagos.
The NACC’s national president affirmed: “We shall continue to facilitate forums like this as part of our mandate to fulfil the expectations of our members. We will continue to broker a healthy interactive relationship between our members and the US Mission generally, particularly when it comes to information dissemination about business opportunities.
“This is an opportunity for current and intended players in the Nigerian Agricultural Sector for credible US Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Federal Agriculture Services (FAS) information capable of assisting practitioners in this key sector.”
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the session have called on the National Assembly to pass the National Food Safety and Quality Bill 2019, as Nigerians deserve food safety regulations to safeguard their health and to make Nigeria’s economy competitive in global trade.
According to them, if passed into law, it would be for the interest of Nigerians as many anomalies would be fixed, and foods and other agricultural products meant for local consumption and those targeted for export would meet standards.
They also added that Nigerians need to explore the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), maximally.
