Nigeria has abundant cash crops which are under exploited across the country. These crops if developed appropriately and exported, it is capable of revamping the economy and also serve as the largest sector for exporting apart from oil.

Exports from Nigeria to other countries of the world is very lucrative and can build the country’s economy, create jobs for the teeming youth and above all put money in the pockets of rural farmers.

In the recent past, Nigeria have been depending solely on crude oil exports as a means of earning forex. If the current food exportation rate is sustained, it could mark the beginning of an improved trade which is capable of diversifying from commodity export to manufacturing of goods for export.

A consultant to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Charles Onyeani, who trained the participants on the concept of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP),  said Nigeria has the capacity to produce enough fresh fruits and vegetables not only for domestic consumption but also export.

He lamented over poor practices that hinder the country from exports, advised farmers to maintain healthy farming practices so as to enable the country meet up export standard of crops.

“One of the major things that stop us from exports is  pest control due to lack of proper farming practices and storage facilities. But this can also be controlled through the use of NAQS restrictions,” he added.

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, another expert, Mrs Oraka Stella Nonyen, while advising farmers to leverage on the training, said the NAQS is ready to collaborate with farmers who are willing to go into export farming by registering their farm so as to monitor it  to the stage of harvest and export.

Mrs Oraka who is also a consultant to NAQS, recommended the establishment of an agricultural radio for rural dwellers who lack access to information so as to have current best farming practices.

She said: “An export farm must be fenced to avoid pollution from passerby which must have must have all the facilities. For one to start an export farm, it requires crop that has export value, identifies the country the crop will be exported to.

She harped on the need for farmers to establish a consumer satisfied system such as GAP that would provide an important advantage for domestic and export markets.

Commenting on the need to empower farmers, off-takers and exporters to comply with the standards of the export market, the director general, NAQS, Dr Vincent Isiegbe, said the Agency is implementing a program of backward integration for better export products.