Post by Trade facilitator on May 21, 2012 10:04:48 GMT 1
We are into processing and packaging of foodstuffs for export and local use. We started in 2008, and it has been a very good venture. We have exported foodstuffs to USA, South Africa, UK, Canada, and we are in serious discussions with some Japanese food experts. Foodstuffs processing, packaging and marketing is a very good business if one gets it right. If one just delves into it, there may be lots of challenges too difficult to handle.
I have been doing some travelling to explore new markets. I just returned from Food Best Expo in Japan. Some Japanese are interested in buying Nigerian bitter leaf, pepper soup spices and chilli pepper in bulk, and they would then package to their own specifications because they have their own unique way of packaging. We are still in talks with them and they have come over to see our factory in Yaba.
Nigeria has very good potential in terms of foodstuffs export. The agricultural policies of the current government are now very favourable. The policies are good but the problem is that anytime the government brings favourable policies in a sector, suddenly highly placed people in society who have no business in that sector would come in just to hijack the benefits. As they are not real investors in that sector, they would not use the opportunities they hijacked to develop that sector. The government would have to be very determined to guard against this.
In other continents, we have seen that their foods are well packaged. But in Nigeria, we see foodstuffs that are grown here at the roadsides, in streets, all over the place, with flies perching on them, rotting away and repelling people who want and can afford good food. With the government support, we can champion the campaign on good packaging of foodstuffs, even domestic consumption. If foreigners living here see ‘garri,’ cassava flour, in clean attractive package, in nice shops instead of open markets and dirty environments where dirt falls on them, they would start eating it.
Foreign-owned shops like Shoprite are already taking advantage of this and have shown interest in our products, but we need much more of such. Well processed and packaged foodstuffs should be in every market. Agribusinesses need a lot of government support, so processors as well as farmers should be assisted with soft loans to develop this sector.
When our pumpkin leaves are sent to the UK they are as fresh as when they were harvested, even after a week. This involves processing with some high tech processing machines. We need loan facilities to buy these. Some of the government policies are good, but those not into the business would be the ones that would hijack it and get the licence. However, the more the professionals that get into foodstuffs processing, packaging and marketing business, the better our chances of stabilising things in this area of business. When I started I did not know the business could get to this level. But to my surprise, it has brought a lot of exposure, with Nigerians and foreigners approaching me and inviting me to speak.
The market is already huge. Even though the foods are expensive when exported, Nigerians and foreigners are very attracted to it. What we need to do now is to get more foreigners, especially those living in Nigeria attracted to it. The more foreigners that eat our ‘egusi, ogbono, bitter leaf’ and so on, the more our economy will develop. Our foods have potential that Nigerians do not yet appreciate. Foreigners are acquiring land to grow food in Nigeria. In the UK and US, foreigners are the ones selling Nigerian foods because they know it sells. That is not how it is supposed to be. We need more Nigerians, especially professionals in this business.
To encourage this, we now organise practical training on food processing, packaging, labelling and documentation on regular basis on weekends for about four months. We are going to issue certificates at the end. We have the endorsement of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council. They are even sending people interested in this training to us so as to drive growth in Nigerian exports. We encourage even working professionals as well as the unemployed to come for the training. They do not have to leave their jobs until they have a firm understanding of the foodstuff export market and how to access it.
One of my trainees is a banker. She is still working but after completion of her training, she started processing and packaging palm oil to international standards and her market has begun to grow gradually.
Source: www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/markets/agribusiness/37745-nigeria-has-good-potential-in-foodstuff-export
I have been doing some travelling to explore new markets. I just returned from Food Best Expo in Japan. Some Japanese are interested in buying Nigerian bitter leaf, pepper soup spices and chilli pepper in bulk, and they would then package to their own specifications because they have their own unique way of packaging. We are still in talks with them and they have come over to see our factory in Yaba.
Nigeria has very good potential in terms of foodstuffs export. The agricultural policies of the current government are now very favourable. The policies are good but the problem is that anytime the government brings favourable policies in a sector, suddenly highly placed people in society who have no business in that sector would come in just to hijack the benefits. As they are not real investors in that sector, they would not use the opportunities they hijacked to develop that sector. The government would have to be very determined to guard against this.
In other continents, we have seen that their foods are well packaged. But in Nigeria, we see foodstuffs that are grown here at the roadsides, in streets, all over the place, with flies perching on them, rotting away and repelling people who want and can afford good food. With the government support, we can champion the campaign on good packaging of foodstuffs, even domestic consumption. If foreigners living here see ‘garri,’ cassava flour, in clean attractive package, in nice shops instead of open markets and dirty environments where dirt falls on them, they would start eating it.
Foreign-owned shops like Shoprite are already taking advantage of this and have shown interest in our products, but we need much more of such. Well processed and packaged foodstuffs should be in every market. Agribusinesses need a lot of government support, so processors as well as farmers should be assisted with soft loans to develop this sector.
When our pumpkin leaves are sent to the UK they are as fresh as when they were harvested, even after a week. This involves processing with some high tech processing machines. We need loan facilities to buy these. Some of the government policies are good, but those not into the business would be the ones that would hijack it and get the licence. However, the more the professionals that get into foodstuffs processing, packaging and marketing business, the better our chances of stabilising things in this area of business. When I started I did not know the business could get to this level. But to my surprise, it has brought a lot of exposure, with Nigerians and foreigners approaching me and inviting me to speak.
The market is already huge. Even though the foods are expensive when exported, Nigerians and foreigners are very attracted to it. What we need to do now is to get more foreigners, especially those living in Nigeria attracted to it. The more foreigners that eat our ‘egusi, ogbono, bitter leaf’ and so on, the more our economy will develop. Our foods have potential that Nigerians do not yet appreciate. Foreigners are acquiring land to grow food in Nigeria. In the UK and US, foreigners are the ones selling Nigerian foods because they know it sells. That is not how it is supposed to be. We need more Nigerians, especially professionals in this business.
To encourage this, we now organise practical training on food processing, packaging, labelling and documentation on regular basis on weekends for about four months. We are going to issue certificates at the end. We have the endorsement of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council. They are even sending people interested in this training to us so as to drive growth in Nigerian exports. We encourage even working professionals as well as the unemployed to come for the training. They do not have to leave their jobs until they have a firm understanding of the foodstuff export market and how to access it.
One of my trainees is a banker. She is still working but after completion of her training, she started processing and packaging palm oil to international standards and her market has begun to grow gradually.
Source: www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/markets/agribusiness/37745-nigeria-has-good-potential-in-foodstuff-export
