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By Henry Uche
The U.S department of Agriculture /Foreign Agricultural Services in Nigeria under the Agriculture Desk of the US Consulate in Lagos and the Nigerian- American Chamber OF Commerce (NACC), has charged to federal government of Nigeria to tackle insecurity head-on and invest more in food security.
The counsellor for Agriculture Affairs (U.S Consulate in Lagos) Gerald Smith, made this known recently in Lagos during a Breakfast Meeting between Nigerian- American Chamber OF Commerce (NACC) and the consulate on ‘US Mission’s Agric-Focused Activities in Nigeria”.
According to him, insecurity is 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 plant and we urge other states government to revolutionize their agricultural sector,”
Smith added that the consulate together with NACC and NAFDAC would undertaker a training/ workshop to add value on food safety and security, he implored all stakeholders with useful ideas to 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 do 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 relevance 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 and others would benefit from the efforts made by the Agriculture Desk of the US Consulate in Lagos.
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 U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Federal Agriculture Services (FAS) information capable of assisting practitioners in this key sector.
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the session 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, as 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.
L-R: Mr. Tunde Temowo (Chairman, NACC Agro-Allied Business Group); Dame Adebola Williams (National President, NACC); Dr. Gerald Smith, (counselor for Agricultural Affairs U.S Consulate) & Mrs. Eileen Shaiyen (Chairman, Programs Committee) at the Breakfast Meeting of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Lagos.
