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Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc, has revealed that it has so far invested one billion Naira in the export processing centre in Lagos.
Speaking at a press conference at the company’s headquarters in Lagos, its Group Managing Director, Indranil Gupta, said plans are underway to replicate same in its Abuja, Enugu, Kano, Port Harcourt stations if the Lagos centre becomes profitable.
He said the company also plans to make Kano become more profitable with the export processing centres. ‘‘We want to reach out to farmers and the middlemen who are supplying and buying the products,’’. He said the company is focused on export, adding that the processing centre would also enhance standardisation of export processing system.
“The idea is that Nigerian products will be in one shop where they will be well sorted, arranged and packaged before being transported. We plan to put forward some ideas on improving exports before the Aviacargo committee. I know that Nigeria can be the food basket of the continent if the producers and farmers are availed the potentials that the continent holds. It is much more profitable to export than to import because it comes with foreign exchange,” he said.
Also speaking, the Group Executive Director of Nacho, Saheed Lasisi, said the company is spearheading the export business with the centres coming up as links with farmers and exporters.
“Our focus is to encourage Nigerian exporters and farmers. Some of our staff were in London for training on packaging and others recently and we have also identified five major airports for this. We are also hopeful that purchasing power will improve,” he said.
Speaking of the cost of getting Ground Support Equipment (GSE), Gupta said naira depreciation has caused an increase in operating cost which has adversely affected the importation of handling equipment.
“We could have significantly done better but for the depreciation of the naira. I hope the purchasing power will improve with time which will help in our input volumes, that will also attract more airlines into Nigeria. The total number of air travellers is between 19 to 20 million, Nigeria is not a poor country, but we look forward to more entrepreneurs, so all these can help us get more Nigerians to fly,” he said.
