Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) is seeking partnership with Ondo State on cocoa projects and other commodity exporters to boost export trade, Mrs Stella Okotete, Executive Director, Business Development of the bank, has said.

In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr Tayo Omidiji, Head, Strategy and Communication of NEXIM, said Okotete spoke when the bank’s management team visited business operators and major projects in Ondo State.

She said the visit was aimed at ensuring partnership that would drive export in the state.

Okotete noted that cocoa was a leading non-oil export commodity from Nigeria and that Ondo State being a major cocoa producing area, it was imperative for the bank to seek its partnership.

She noted that currently the country exported mainly raw cocoa beans but spent much more than its revenue to import chocolates and other finished cocoa products.

Okotete said NEXIM bank was eager to reverse the trend and in the process enhance jobs and increase export revenues.

She said the bank had started receiving applications under the N500 billion Export Stimulation Facility, which it implemented with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

According to her, the fund has been created to provide long term facilities to exporters at single digit interest rate.

She said that one billion naira of the N50 billion Export Development Fund had been designated to states for the purpose of supporting Small and Medium Enterprises, operating along the export value chain,

Okotete said that about three billion naira had also been set aside under a special scheme designed for women and youth.

On support for the Niger Delta Region, she said a Niger-Delta Development Fund had been established in partnership with the Niger-Delta Development Commission, with a seed fund of five billion naira to promote export oriented projects.

The director called on exporters in Ondo State to take advantage of this fund being the only Niger-Delta State in the Southwest region.

She further noted that the team while on courtesy visit on the state Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu expressed the desire to support the revitalisation of ailing projects with strong market potential.

“ The visiting team also advised the state government to adopt the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model as a veritable strategy to enhance project viability and attract funding,’’ she said (NAN)

FG Directs Fish Importers to Explore Local, Commercial Aquaculture Production

The Federal Government says it has directed fish importers to go into backward integration via commercial aquaculture production of pond and cage culture to boost local production of fish.

Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of state for Agriculture and Rural Development, said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the onset of a two-day stakeholders’ workshop on the WorldFish Nigeria Research Programme.

Lokpobiri said that the move was necessary to enable the country to reduce its fish imports and meet the demand gaps in fish production in the country.

He said that the national demand for fish stood at 3.2 million tonnes, while the production rate currently stood at 1.1 million tonnes.

“Our fish is basically imported and we want to see how we can develop a cheaper way of feeding fish to enable the cost of production to be low.

“The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed all fish importers to go into backward integration through commercial aquaculture (pond and cage culture).

“Some of the companies which have complied have been duly certified and can now export their fish and fishery products, including shrimps, to the international markets,’’ Lokpobiri said.

Dr James Apochi, the National Project Coordinator of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), said that the project was promoting aquaculture production.

He said that for the country to achieve self- sufficiency in fish production; it must invest in the production of fingerlings and fish feeds as well as post-harvest fish processing.

The project coordinator said that the National Centre of Specialisation (NCoS), adopted by WAAPP, had generated and released 11 technologies to facilitate fish production.

He noted that techniques for the production of all-male tilapia species, which could contribute 30 per cent to the current annual fish stock of the country and production of all-round fingerlings, was generated.

News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with an international organisation, WorldFish, to increase fish production in the country.