Chinese importers seeking alternative sources of sorghum as risks of a trade spat with the U.S. linger are finding Nigeria, the world’s second-largest producer, unable to fill the gap as violence in producing regions leave fields idle.
Sorghum is a drought-resistant grain used in the food and brewing industry as well as livestock feed and a staple in parts of the world.
“The trade war opens up an opportunity for us to export to China,” Muda Yusuf, head of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a phone interview from the country’s commercial capital. “I don’t think Nigeria is able to take it as our capacity is dwindling because of all the security problems we have in our agricultural belt.”

Nigeria produced 6.5 million metric tons of sorghum in 2017, second only to the U.S. which had output of more than 8 million tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nigeria’s Agriculture Ministry puts annual output at 11 million tons, which it says isn’t enough for local demand of 12.5 million tons, raising questions about the capacity to export.
Buyers from China began making inquiries from Nigerian suppliers even before retaliatory tariffs with the U.S. set in. China imposed a tariff of 179 percent on imports of U.S. sorghum in April after starting an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation in February. It recently announced it was suspending the measure as the two countries seek to resolve their trade dispute.
Herders, Farmers
The area planted with sorghum in Nigeria will decline 3 percent in 2018 to 5.2 million hectares (12.8 million acres) due to the resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram Islamist militants in major producing areas, according to the USDA. Fighting has also intensified this year between herders and farmers over grazing land across much of central Nigeria, displacing hundreds of thousands of farmers, many of whom grow sorghum and other grains.
China is the world’s largest sorghum market and the threats of a trade war with the U.S. have provided sorghum-producing countries the opportunity to gain from the dispute between the world’s two biggest economies. China’s
monthly sorghum imports stood at 640,000 tons in April, the highest since March 2017.
Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer and suffered its worst economic contraction in 25 years in 2016 after prices collapsed. It’s seeking to diversify its crude-dependent economy by boosting agricultural exports.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-27/nigeria-conflict-stops-sorghum-farmers-bid-to-benefit-from-trump#15275164679902&

Buhari well done

After your defeat at the polls next year you will.indeed be remembered as the worst president who made GEJ the legendary ineffectual buffoon look intelligent

Buhari is indeed a disgrace so is his entire carbinet of clueless drones

Lakeside79:
Buhari well done

After your defeat at the polls next year you will.indeed be remembered as the worst president who made GEJ the legendary ineffectual buffoon look intelligent

Buhari is indeed a disgrace so is his entire carbinet of clueless drones

Lazy youths alws blaming PMB for their failures.
This is not the time to heep the blame PMB
Farmers herdsmen clashes has been there for decades and it's not something that can be resolved with the press of a button.

NOETHNICITY:
Lazy youths alws blaming PMB for their failures.
This is not the time to heep the blame PMB
Farmers herdsmen clashes has been there for decades and it's not something that can be resolved with the press of a button.

Meanwhile lalasticlala should take this to fp in other for Nigerians to be informed so they can take advantage

I know you are trying to earning your social media chatter allowance so I have no hard feeling at your nonsensical gibberish

Carry on then you have bills to pay

Meanwhile lalasticlala should take this to fp in other for Nigerians to be informed so they can take advantage

NOETHNICITY:
Meanwhile lalasticlala should take this to fp in other for Nigerians to be informed so they can take advantage

Take advantage of what?

How can Nigeria take advantage when our agricultural catchment area is under siege?

And your lame duck president is doing absolutely nothing.

It is liking herdsmen overrunning friesland of Netherlands and then still expecting Holland to remain a global agricultural giant.
It is impossible.

A derica of egusi is now N800 just because of the crisis in the middle belt.
And one fanatic is saying Nigerians should take advantage.
Who should take advantage, if not the food basket of the nation?
The same food basket that has turned to funeral basket.

CSTR1003:
A derica of egusi is now N800 just because of the crisis in the middle belt.

And one fanatic is saying Nigerians should take advantage.

Who should take advantage, if not the food basket of the nation?

The same food basket that has turned to funeral basket.

So if the middle belt does not give you food you re ready to die of starving?
Continue in ur extremism

NOETHNICITY:
So if the middle belt does not give you food you will die of starvation?

Shut up.

Every country has its agricultural powerhouse. Every single country.

The middle belt is our power house.

You are yapping about Nigerians taking advantage, but how will I take advantage when I plant just for me and my family to feed on.?

From where are you going to get the massive tonnes to replace US sorghum in the international market like you suggested ,if I plant just to feed ?

CSTR1003:

Shut up.

Every country has its agricultural powerhouse. Every single country.

The middle belt is our power house.

You are yapping about Nigerians taking advantage, but how will I take advantage when I plant just for me and my family to feed on.?

From where are you going to get the massive tonnes to replace US sorghum in the international market like you suggested ,if I plant just to feed ?

Bros, the one you er just attacking me as if I caused the problem, I just don't understand.
I'm not a northerner neither am I a farmer
I just want Nigerians to be aware of an opportunity

Anambra state has a massive sorghum farm dedicated to Sabmiller. They can simply expand the farm for Chinese market. Obiano's export council need to look into this opportunity.

Ebonyi state is another place that can tap into this opportunity.

NOETHNICITY:
Bros, the one you er just attacking me as if I caused the problem, I just don't understand.
I'm not a northerner neither am I a farmer
I just want Nigerians to be aware of an opportunity

You are a fanatic supporting a terrible government.

What is the meaning of "Nigerians should take advantage"?

Its a shame that NLers cannot produce and manage an intelligent argument. . . .

Lemme coman be goin

as for now . . .'This is Nigeria'

CSTR1003:

You are a fanatic supporting a terrible government.

What is the meaning of "Nigerians should take advantage"?

Bros, I'm not the cause of ur life failures.
I'm not a politician
Never held a political position
I ve a right to ve my inclinations, religious and political.
Trying to compel me to see tins ur way ain't ever gonna work.
Pls leave my mention alone

rayopt:
Its a shame that NLers cannot produce and manage an intelligent argument. . . .

Lemme coman be goin

as for now . . .'This is Nigeria'

Bros, tin just tire me.
I opened a thread hoping NLders can share ideas and benefit
Only for those pple to hijack the thread and turn the issue to some war

NOETHNICITY:
Lazy youths alws blaming PMB for their failures.
This is not the time to heep the blame PMB
Farmers herdsmen clashes has been there for decades and it's not something that can be resolved with the press of a button.

Yes, farmers-herdsmen clashes has been there for decades but Buhari was elected as a solution, a change!

Tell me now, what in exact language has he done to solve the problem if not exacerbate it.

Face, there's no value add with Buhari, just erosion

If the gov't ends the conflict there would be production
We can't all allow Benue be the ''EX FOOD BASKET'
Besides how can I invest without security?

NOETHNICITY:
Bros, tin just tire me.
I opened a thread hoping NLders can share ideas and benefit
Only for those pple to hijack the thread and turn the issue to some war

NOETHNICITY:
Bros, I'm not the cause of ur life failures.
I'm not a politician
Never held a political position
I ve a right to ve my inclinations, religious and political.
Trying to compel me to see tins ur way ain't ever gonna work.
Pls leave my mention alone

Cowardice is also on NL.

Why run? Why not stay and face your shìt

NOETHNICITY:
So if the middle belt does not give you food you re ready to die of starving?
Continue in ur extremism

Lol, Oga, the soil there supports the growth of most food crops. Maize, vegetables and cassava grow well in the East, cash crops here in the West.

Lakeside79:
Buhari well done

After your defeat at the polls next year you will.indeed be remembered as the worst president who made GEJ the legendary ineffectual buffoon look intelligent

Buhari is indeed a disgrace so is his entire carbinet of clueless drones

The spirit of Nigeria is that of the fool in the tarot card reading. They get lucky all the time even when they're restarted. However, when the card is reversed, it means bad luck. Someone is playing Nigeria as tarot reading. As a Christian I find it insulting when comparing superior nature of the Christian faith against the tarot. It becomes an abomination. Nature should do justice.

Chief security officer of the nation is really working... Commander in chief of the armed forces!

If Buhari wins next year, people will begin to feed on each other because of hunger.
By the way, we the wise men warned you about him

bloomberg is pdp

Buhari would rather deploy all the available security aparatus in chasing shadows, instead of using it to tackle killer herdsmen.
Of what use is funding the agricultural sector if farmers can't go to their farms for fear of being killed?

NOETHNICITY:
Lazy youths alws blaming PMB for their failures.
This is not the time to heep the blame PMB
Farmers herdsmen clashes has been there for decades and it's not something that can be resolved with the press of a button.

Sorry, but this is just nonsense. These clashes are actually very easy to resolve, by a single legislative measure: decentralize policing to the LGA (not the state) level, with local police chiefs who are appointed and overseen by elected LGA councilmen. I guarantee that this one measure will not only provide an effective means to stop herdsmen from infringing on the property rights of farmers, it will also do wonders for all kinds of other crime as well.

That Buhari has failed to take even the smallest step towards local policing, even in the face of calls from so many quarters to do so, very likely owes to 3 reasons, all of which cast him in the worst possible light.

1. Buhari is too attached to the powers of intimidation that a centralized police force controlled from Abuja provides to him, even if that means it is utterly useless at preventing crime or arresting criminals.
2. Buhari recognizes that local policing will give farming communities an effective means to check herdsmen attacks, without forcing them to rely on unaccountable and undisciplined vigilantes, but he can't put aside his sympathy towards his ethnic kinsmen to permit local police forces which will reliably enforce the property rights said kinsmen currently infringe at will (sometimes abetted by the very policemen who should be reining them in).
3. Buhari is simply too intellectually limited to even appreciate that there is anything structurally wrong with the current setup of the Nigerian police, and he truly believes that the only problem with centralization is that the "right" person (i.e. himself) should be the one pulling all the strings from the center, just like he thinks Nigeria's only real problem is "corruption" (which apparently is only practiced by his enemies).

The scary thing about Buhari is that all 3 of these reasons are equally plausible!

With what the former inec chairman says today in abuja, I don't think there is election in Nigeria next year.

Why will God not punish Buhari the lord of Yoruba Muslims.

if you global attention just put Nigeria in a sentence.

America has to drop bombs just to get the kind of free media we receive these past years

Gains made are being reversed, and I see a BMC jumping out to defend Buhari's lack of action with the lame "...its been there for decades"

OfficialRasheed:
Why will God not punish Buhari the lord of Yoruba Muslims.

Because Ojukwu was collecting Nigerian pensions and gratuities till he died. And right now, hundred of imolites are struggling to control APC in imo state.

And, also eastern leaders are still playing tinini tanana with the south east destiny. Since the held the ibo restructuring brouhaha IPOB has become very happy. We are glad as well, IPOB will issue another sit at home in 2019