The Nigeria Export Promotion Council has said its export promotion activities are beginning to make a positive impact, considering the rise in export revenue in the first six months of the year.
The council described the export figure in the period as the highest ever, saying cocoa topped the list of exportable agricultural products.
NEPC Assistant Director, Product Development Department, Afolabi Bello, said these at a training programme for farmers to adopt best practices in cocoa bean processing and packaging for export.
The event, held in Ila, Osun state, was organised by the council in collaboration with Mr. Femi Fakeye, the House of Representatives member representing Boluwaduro/Ifeday/Ila Federal Constituency.
Bello said the country could further improve on the revenue from non-oil exports by improving the quality of the exportable products from the country, thereby reducing rejection at the international market.
“Based on the figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, cocoa was even the number-one exportable agricultural product. We are seeing the impact of export promotional activities but we can do better because there are still some gaps and challenges,” he said.
Fakeye, who was represented by Dr Ifeoluwa Arowosoge, explained that the programme was a follow-up to the one held three months back, adding that the training would centre on the best way to process cocoa for export.
He said the participants would receive spraying machine and chemicals, adding that 70 cocoa farmers participating in the workshop were drawn from the 31 wards in the constituency.
– Punch