US Mission’s Agric-Focused Activities In Nigeria

The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) hosted a breakfast Meeting in Lagos State on Wednesday, 16th February 2022 at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos State.

In her welcome remarks, the National President of the Chamber, Dame Adebola Williams, stated that the breakfast meeting was an opportunity for current and intended players in the Nigerian Agricultural Sector to benefit from whatever support initiatives that were available through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and/or the US Federal Agriculture Services (FAS) as well as access information capable of assisting practitioners in this key sector. 

Dr Gerald Smith, Counsellor for Agricultural Affairs, U.S Consulate, spoke on the US Mission’s Agric-Focused Activities In Nigeria. He provided an update on the endorsed international and domestic trade shows provided by the USDA/FAS for 2022.

Dr Gerald Smith urged producers and exporters of Nigerian agricultural products to adhere to the food safety standards domestically and internationally. He further enlightened participants that one of the constraints facing Nigerian products was mainly pesticide residue since some exporters were with the belief that the more the quantities of pesticides used, the more protected their products were.

Dr Gerald Smith went further to say “We will continue to provide adequate information to importers across the West African region and readily provide support for players in the agricultural value chain in Nigeria’’ 

The National President of the Chamber, Dame Adebola Williams advised Nigerian exporters to adhere to basic international standards, processes and procedures. She further pointed out that the US AGOA initiative was still on and capable of serving as a major domestic support. She noted that, before the discovery of oil, Nigeria was basically an agrarian economy which the country was globally noted for.