ABUJA – In a bid to support Nigeria’s food production, Caribbean countries have expressed their readiness to share their expertise and skills in agriculture with the country.
Dr. Levi Odoe, Consular General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, made this known yesterday while briefing newsmen on efforts to enhance food production in Nigeria.
Odoe emphasized the need for bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Caribbean to focus on agriculture, in addition to the oil and gas sector, as food security has become a global concern.
He urged the Nigerian government to revive subsistence farming and encourage citizens to grow their own food, citing the example of backyard gardens.
The envoy also highlighted the opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs to expand their exports to Caribbean countries through the South-South Cooperation.
Some Nigerian businesses have already taken advantage of this initiative, exporting goods to countries like Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, and Guyana.
Odoe further noted that some Caribbean countries have leased land in Nigeria for agricultural purposes, shipping produce back to their countries.
He emphasized the need to remove bottlenecks hindering trade relations between the Caribbean and Africa, citing the example of direct flight routes.
With the existing good relations between Nigeria and Caribbean countries, Odoe expressed optimism about the potential for increased cooperation.
He noted that Nigerian products, as a member of the WTO, can be exported to Caribbean, South, and Latin American countries, citing the example of Nigerian footwear imported by Venezuela.
He said, “Bilateral relations between Nigeria and the Caribbean should incorporate agriculture and not just the oil gas sector as food security has become urgent around the world.
“I think by a simple method of backyard garden we would have plants in the market and more food. We need to revive the culture of encouraging subsistence farming of okro, melon, cassava, yam, and raise animals like fowl, sheep, and goats to sustain themselves.
“Agricultural products like yam from Nigeria needed to be packaged to international standards and sold abroad. Chamber of commerce and international organisations should look for market for Nigerian products. The Caribbean, Latin and South America is a huge market for Nigeria.
“Nigerian products as a member of the WTO can be brought to the Caribbean, South and Latin American countries. I went to Venezuela and I saw some footwear imported from Nigeria.
“We have to remove all the bottlenecks to trade relationship between Caribbean and Africa, and when you talk about Africa is Nigeria as the most populous black nation on earth. If Nigeria fails, the rest of the black race has failed. With Nigeria succeeding, the rest of the back succeeds. We in the Caribbean are family with Nigeria.
“From Nigeria to Cape Verde is a six-hour flight, but if you want to travel to the Caribbean now you have to first go to London for six hours and then from London to the Caribbeans another eight hours or you go via the USA. And to even get their transit visa is almost impossible.”
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