Federal Government has begun the process of easing port access to enable farmers and members of the business community to export goods comfortably from Nigerian ports.
This is in reaction to the discovery that Nigerian agricultural commodities are being smuggled to neighbouring countries, which have an easy process of export, where Nigerian smuggled products were tagged as originating from those countries.
Speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja on the trend, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Mr. Adebayo Adeniyi, said a piece of legislation was being worked out to ensure easy access to the ports for export of goods.
The Minister explained that the ministry was equally collaborating with relevant authorities to prevent the smuggling of agriculture commodities from Nigeria to neighbouring countries for export to other continents.
Mr Adebayo said the government would soon complete the construction of its quality control laboratory, located in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where goods meant for export would be examined and certified or rejected.
According to him, the completion of the laboratory would solve the frustrating cases of rejection of Nigerian agricultural commodities overseas.
The Minister also said Nigeria had gone into collaboration with the African Development Bank, in which about 400 million dollars would be invested by the bank and its partners in the establishment of agro-processing zones in all parts of the country.
Bello Wakili