The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) on Monday trained gum Arabic farmers, processors and exporters on how to improve the quality of their product to meet international export standards.
Speaking during the one-day workshop held in Maiduguri with the theme, ‘Ensuring Quality Gum Arabic for Export’, the NEPC Promotion Advisor Maiduguri Export Assistance Office, Abubakar Umar, explained that the workshop is intended, amongst others, to ensure that gum Arabic farmers and processors alike are abreast with knowledge on the production of the produce for export from farm gate to foreign market.
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He noted that the exercise will also bring all the relevant stakeholders together and deliberate on issues that border on gum Arabic production for export and to build capacities of gum Arabic farmers on GAP.
The Assistant National Secretary of the Gum Arabic Producers, Processors and Exporters of Nigeria (NAGAPBED), Malam Usman Yusuf, said Borno State is endowed with a climate that is comparatively conducive for agricultural production of gum Arabic and other items to promote export hence the federal government opened the export promotion office with trade promotion Officer as head.
“We were enslaved because of lack capital, lack of credit facilities, purchasing farm products directly at the farm gate and exporters also buy directly at the farm gate or send their representatives to purchase directly at the local market leaving the marketers with nothing,” Yusuf said
