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Minister welcomes made-in-Nigeria goods

By on June 22, 2014

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, has lauded locally made products which he said would boost economic development.

Adesina stated this while sampling a range of Sympli products that included local delicacies such as yam fries, yam chunks and dodo that were exhibited by Venus Processing and Packaging Limited, a member of the PRIMLAKS Group, at the recently concluded AgrikExpo and FoodBext exhibition held in Lagos.

According to a statement by the company, the minister commended the organisation for pioneering individually quick frozen solutions in Nigeria.

“I have always said that one of the reasons our yam production does not boom is because we eat yam in the same old ways as our forefathers; Sympli has shown that we can cut yam, deep freeze it and prepare it with its freshness still intact,” the minister was quoted as saying.

He was said to have also reiterated the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment to encourage the private sector to take advantage of opportunities in agriculture.

“We have a population of 171 million people, so our people should be proud of our products and eat our products because we are the market for all our farmers’ products and when we eat what we produce, we entrench inclusive growth. Nigeria has a lot of things to share with the world because of her potential to be a global player. Where would anyone be investing now if not in Nigeria that has become the largest economy in Africa?” he added.

The Chairman of Venus Processing and Packaging Ltd, Mr. Christopher Tugbobo, was also quoted as saying the company invested in the country’s first IQF production facility to stop the wastage of an estimated 40 per cent farm produce including fruits and vegetables due to the absence of proper means of post-harvest storage.

“Our presence at the AgrikExpo 2014 is to further showcase our products to the local market to demonstrate our company’s capacity to offer Nigeria huge revenue saving and earning opportunity as well as encourage more people to embrace made-in-Nigeria foods,” he was quoted as saying.

 

 

[Punch]