The Katsina State Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA) has engaged commodity associations in the state to explore opportunities for expanding agricultural exports and accessing new international markets.
The engagement, which took place in Katsina, focused on reviewing the agency’s recent trade mission to the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and identifying opportunities for exporters of agricultural commodities in the state.
Speaking at the meeting, the Director-General of KIPA, Alhaji Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening collaboration with commodity stakeholders and providing information on export opportunities in Ghana and other international markets.
He said the agency was particularly interested in assessing the capacity, production volumes and readiness of farmers and commodity associations to meet the requirements of targeted export markets.
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According to Jikamshi, expanding agricultural exports would create new markets for farmers, contribute to economic diversification, increase foreign exchange earnings and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global commodities market.
He urged the associations to provide accurate information on their production capacities, challenges and areas requiring government intervention to enable the agency to develop appropriate strategies for supporting export-oriented agriculture.
Representatives of commodity associations, including sesame, hibiscus, tomato and onion producers, participated in the discussions and highlighted challenges affecting production, aggregation, quality standards, processing and access to international markets.
The stakeholders also examined measures to address the challenges and improve the quality, volume and consistency of agricultural commodities destined for export.
KIPA said the engagement formed part of its efforts to connect producers and exporters in Katsina with international markets while strengthening the state’s contribution to Nigeria’s non-oil export drive.
