It is a well known fact that Nigeria is almost a mono depedent govt as more than 70% of our budget is from oil produce. Currently, the price of oil has crashed and will crash the more due to discovery of shale oil in many places and Usa being a major producer. Our foreign reserve is depleted by politicians spending and bokoharam issue is making matters worse. The above has shattered our economy. Exchange rates are getting high and from the look of things, it might get to 300 naira to the dollar if we dont take urgent steps to increase export to balance trade.

Before the advent of oil, our exchange rate was 12 naira to 1 dollar. This was made possible because we were an export dependent country. Agric was our mainstay . We have vast lands and fair weather to produce almost anything.

What advise do you have for government to make us regain our position in agric? which export/ cash crops do you think we have comparative in and what should be done to get us back on track?

Nice one but the problem is that the government knows what to do but they don't want to. Reasons best known to them.
We have many agricultural products that can help this nation but the govt choose to leave it to civilians to do small scale ish.
Things will definitely get better but first it needs to spoil completely so we can wake up.
Malaysia came here and took palm kernel, and that's their own crude oil now.
It is well

First step: what products can be exported?
2nd step: where are the markets? Where do we source and where are the destination markets?
3rd step: what are the standard requirements?
4th step: export processes.

Let us have the discussion along these lines. Enough of complaints and talk about govt.

Nice one mercilicious!
I have been thinking along that line of late.

@Apitch...The worse it gets,the better we wake up from our slumber.
Economic problems such as this befell countries like brazil,Argentina many years back making the government,agric stakeholders,the citizens to wake up to their first love and they are now the food.basket of the world.
I see the same thing happening to Nigeria.

@stagger:
You are right in that we should not be complaining about government.

Personally, i believe government should not be involve directly in agribusiness but create a good enabling environment for the stakeholders (farmers,investors,agric banks,value chain suppliers etc) to participate in the business of agriculture.

The government is actually doing the best it can do,just that the recent government's action is somehow late.
I am very sure that government will be force to create good policies that will be geared toward more citizen to participate in agribusiness.

As a country,all our cocoa and our groundnut exportation that make us the toast of africa in the international market might not work again.

We might not be able to reach the peak of the financial level we were in the 70's and 80's in this era in terms of foreign exchange unless we bring in some innovations and rapid industrialisation of some of our products.

We cannot meet up within the shortest time with countries producing our former exportable products in term of technological advancement in production and processing.
Even i wouldnot want to believe we will even.be able to capture 10% of the market share now.

China, Japan are one of the most industrialised nation in the world having little land mass to cultivate crops,why not export to them the crops they are unable to cultivate.

Farmers and agro-preneurs in Brazil export 40% of the soybeans to china yearly thereby raking in billions of dollars and yen yearly.

Why can we take advantage of that?

Costa rica farmers generate billions in revenue from exporting plantain chips to all of Europe
Why can't we process too and sell to our neighbours in africa?


A lot of agricproduce can be exported, one just need to have a reliable and trustworthy buyers.

Another thing is knowing the importation laws guiding.the country you are exporting to.
I read from a national.newspaper some time.ago.how US destroyed thousand of tonnes.of.snail imported to the country.from Nigeria
Millions of.naira.just got lost through uninform knowledge of.the rules guiding the importation of snail into that country.
A serious agro-preneur should be looking into the aspect of sourcing/production and exporting as naira continue its free fall.

Lesgupnigeria:
Nice one mercilicious!
I have been thinking along that line of late.

@Apitch...The worse it gets,the better we wake up from our slumber.
Economic problems such as this befell countries like brazil,Argentina many years back making the government,agric stakeholders,the citizens to wake up to their first love and they are now the food.basket of the world.
I see the same thing happening to Nigeria.

@stagger:
You are right in that we should not be complaining about government.

Personally, i believe government should not be involve directly in agribusiness but create a good enabling environment for the stakeholders (farmers,investors,agric banks,value chain suppliers etc) to participate in the business of agriculture.

The government is actually doing the best it can do,just that the recent government's action is somehow late.
I am very sure that government will be force to create good policies that will be geared toward more citizen to participate in agribusiness.

As a country,all our cocoa and our groundnut exportation that make us the toast of africa in the international market might not work again.

We might not be able to reach the peak of the financial level we were in the 70's and 80's in this era in terms of foreign exchange unless we bring in some innovations and rapid industrialisation of some of our products.

We cannot meet up within the shortest time with countries producing our former exportable products in term of technological advancement in production and processing.
Even i wouldnot want to believe we will even.be able to capture 10% of the market share now.

China, Japan are one of the most industrialised nation in the world having little land mass to cultivate crops,why not export to them the crops they are unable to cultivate.

Farmers and agro-preneurs in Brazil export 40% of the soybeans to china yearly thereby raking in billions of dollars and yen yearly.

Why can we take advantage of that?

Costa rica farmers generate billions in revenue from exporting plantain chips to all of Europe
Why can't we process too and sell to our neighbours in africa?


A lot of agricproduce can be exported, one just need to have a reliable and trustworthy buyers.

Another thing is knowing the importation laws guiding.the country you are exporting to.
I read from a national.newspaper some time.ago.how US destroyed thousand of tonnes.of.snail imported to the country.from Nigeria
Millions of.naira.just got lost through uninform knowledge of.the rules guiding the importation of snail into that country.
A serious agro-preneur should be looking into the aspect of sourcing/production and exporting as naira continue its free fall.

I recall watching a documentary where NAFDAC said they now have collaborative partnerships with regulatory agencies in other countries such that when a particular food export product has attained a certain certification from NAFDAC, that product is fit for importation by these countries. Needs some researching.

So I would say let us talk about mini-exportation of agric produce.

Instead of sinking money into youwin were most people don't feel the impact, I think it is time to bring back our marketing boards. This boards do the grading and standardization of these cash crops to meet international standards.
MB help to set pre -farming prices so that farmers know at what rate they would be producing and selling to the MB After production.
Without marketing boards, I am sorry.... same old song will be sang. Billions would be needed but I think, this is were the private sector should come in.
There are no plantation agriculture in Nigeria, especially in the north. I know of just two okomu oil and the other in edo state. Plantation agriculture should be encouraged especially in cash crop production.

onyenro:
Instead of sinking money into youwin were most people don't feel the impact, I think it is time to bring back our marketing boards. This boards do the grading and standardization of these cash crops to meet international standards.
MB help to set pre -farming prices so that farmers know at what rate they would be producing and selling to the MB After production.
Without marketing boards, I am sorry.... same old song will be sang. Billions would be needed but I think, this is were the private sector should come in.
There are no plantation agriculture in Nigeria, especially in the north. I know of just two okomu oil and the other in edo state. Plantation agriculture should be encouraged especially in cash crop production.

..
Nice contribution.

I know we have lots of cash crops in Nigeria besides cassava. sesame, soybeans, charcoal, pepper,Ginger, groundnut etc. Where can they be exported to? What are the approved measuring and grading standard, what is the ROI? HOW long does it take to get paid? All this issues should new tackled here. Let's bring our ideas. no hoarding of ideas please