Nigeria leads in Yam production but exports none – FG

Despite being the world’s largest producer of yam, Nigeria is not listed among the nations that export the product, the Federal Government declared on Tuesday.

But it emphasized that it was working with the appropriate parties to revive the yam export from Nigeria in order to increase wealth creation and food security, noting that this issue needed to be solved.

At a stakeholders’ session in Abuja, Ernest Umakhihe, the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of agriculture and rural development, revealed this.

The meeting’s purpose, according to the permanent secretary, who was represented by the Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, Abdullahi Abubakar, was to revive public awareness of yam exports.

He said, “Nigeria is the leading producer of fresh yams, yet it is unfortunate to note that despite the huge production, Nigeria is nowhere on the map of countries that export yams.

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“If we must have sustainable food security for our teeming population of over 200 million people and have enough to export to other countries, there is a need to critically examine the factors working against the quality production and export of our major commodities, of which yam is one of them.

“It, therefore, becomes imperative to put Nigeria in its right position by considering its contribution to global production.”

Umakhihe informed workshop attendees that in 2020, Nigeria produced 67% of the world’s yams, compared to 10% for Ghana.

However, he added, “Ghana continues to contribute 94% of West Africa’s annual exports and is the second-highest yam exporter in the world for more than ten years.

Based on Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity, the permanent secretary expressed confidence that the country could earn six times as much as Ghana.

Umakhihe emphasized that intentional action must be done to advance yam production, processing, and marketing to the next level in accordance with worldwide best practices in order to accomplish the massive challenge of repositioning yam as an export crop.

Abdullahi Abubakar, the Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture, who was present in person through Oyeleke Oshadiya, the Deputy Director of the Nutrition Division, said in his remarks that the workshop offered an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the best course of action for increasing the income of yam farmers and bringing prosperity to all participants in the value chain.

Simon Irtwange, the national president of the Yam Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria, praised the ministry for setting up the session and outlined some of the difficulties tam farmers face, including lack of finance and difficulty becoming certified, among other things.