A firm with specialty in pineapple farming Monday advocated for improved farming of the product, saying that not less than N50 million naira is lost in Nigeria daily to its importation from countries like Ghana and Togo.
Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Davidorlah Nigeria Limited, Oluwasegun Alabi, during a chat with journalists called on the federal and state governments to create an enabling environment that fosters partnership for farming in pineapple to thrive.
He also announced that the company would train 50,000 Nigerian youth in the farming of pineapple with a view to making the country a leading exporter.
“To further address the pressing issue of food security crisis in Nigeria, it is essential for government to further engage the right people in the agricultural sector.
“The current global food security crisis is a unique opportunity for Nigeria as a nation, because we possess all the necessary resources such as fertile land, favorable climate, and human capital resources to become the highest producer of food in the world. However, we must act now and ensure the right measures are in place to unlock this potentials,” he said.
He stated further that despite the growing global demand for pineapples, Nigeria’s agricultural sector has yet to fully tap into the opportunity, adding however that “many Nigerian farmers lack access to modern knowledge, resources, and infrastructure required to meet international standards.”
Citing figures by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), he said, “Nigeria is currently the 8th largest producer of pineapples in the world with estimated total of 1,607,200 metric tons per annum.”
He added that it was amazing how Ghana and Benin Republic produce less than Nigeria annually and yet Nigeria still imports pineapple from Ghana ranked 13th, and Benin ranked 16th with estimated total of 678,079 metric tons per annum, and 472,514 respectively.
He said our production is 50% less than our consumption, which makes us depend largely on importation of pineapple, pointing out that a new discovery has unveiled the incredible versatility of pineapples, revealing that they can be used to produce a variety of items such as clothing, shoes, bags, disposable plates, spoons, and even biofuel, leaving a lot of benefits on the value chain.