NEPC, firm make first $1.3bn agro-export to trade house in China

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Zeenab Foods Limited have commenced the shipment of agro-commodities to the Nigerian export trade house in China.

Launched in June, 2022, by NEPC, the trade house initiative is a central location where made-in-Nigeria products can be shipped, displayed and distributed to different parts of the world.

During the recent kick-off ceremony at the Idu Industrial Layout in Abuja, Victor Ayamere, managing director of Zeenab Foods Limited said “20 containers were being shipped today through Onne port in Rivers”.

He expressed optimism about the exportation, saying it was a means to improve the foreign exchange (FX) earnings of Nigeria.

While encouraging trade partnerships, Ayamere also called on the NEPC to continually provide a working platform for interested traders.

“When we say we need foreign exchange — dollars — it will not just drop from America, or from China, or from Europe to Nigeria. Something must give. We have to give in order to be able to collect dollars,” he said.

“As Zeenab Foods was appointed Nigeria export trademark operator last year, we decided we are not just going to take it. We will do it very big. As we already opened the warehouse. As we already set up the warehouse in China that we’ll let everybody know what we are about to do. That we are moving the containers to China.

“All the containers you are seeing here today, 20, including 17 ginger and three sesame seed containers.

“We are going to move an average of 300 containers at least within the next 45 days.

‘NIGERIA NOW HAS A TRADE HOUSE IN CHINA’

“We want to let Nigerians know that we now have a trade house in China. It is for Nigerians to export to China. By the time we all join hands together to export to China, then the current trade deficit between Nigeria and China would be closed.”

However, Ayamere bemoaned the challenges faced in moving goods to ports due to a lack of proper infrastructure and equipment.

On his part, Ezra Yakusak, the executive director of NEPC, urged Nigerian exporters to leverage on the platform to increase exports of locally-made agro-products to China and the entire Asian continent.

“We also acquired the general administration of customs (GACC) of the People’s Republic of China for ginger and sesame seed, while awaiting approval for other products,” he said.

“Today witnesses the first official shipment of 20 containers of ginger and sesame seeds worth 1.311 million dollars through the Onne port in Rivers State to the Nigerian export trade house in China.

“NEPC is also calling on Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other relevant organisations to, as a matter of urgency, consider the provision of necessary infrastructure in the other smaller ports in the country.

“This is to ease the congestion at the Apapa port and make export seamless.”

NIGERIA-CHINA TRADE HITS $26 BILLION

Also speaking, Allen Zhang, a Chinese representative, said the monetary value of trade between Nigeria and China in 2022 stood at $26 billion.

According to Zhang, the figure is twice the amount of trade between China and Ghana, four times higher than that of Kenya, and six times higher than trade with Cameroun.