The National Groundnut Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NGROPPMAN), has commended plans by the Federal Government to increase groundnut output to about 17.5 million metric tonnes by the end of 2025.
The President of the association, Aimu Foni, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday at the end of a stakeholders’s meeting in Abuja.
Foni said it had become necessary for a drastic action to be taken to restore groundnut past glory.
The president of the association noted that the projection of 17.5 million metric tonnes was part of the objectives of a groundnut draft policy under review by relevant stakeholders.
He said when adopted by stakeholders and approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the policy would go a long way in boosting groundnut production and repositioning other value chains within the sub-sector.
According to him, part of the plans by government is to improve groundnut produce to 4.9 metric tonnes per hectare by the end of 2025.
“The objective of the draft policy, which is still under review, is to improve groundnut production and make it a major source of revenue generation for government.
“The policy when approved, will further tackle the problem of training and extension services, critical to agricultural development.
“Also, the document will help with risk management, marketing as well as competitiveness to ensure robust domestic consumption and high quality export.”
The president decried that in spite being the largest groundnut producing country in Africa, the industry was grossly undeveloped in Nigeria.
He also said that compared to the days of groundnut pyramid, “Nigeria is nowhere with regard to export of the commodity.“
Foni said the sub-sector had been bedeviled with several challenges, including lack of credit, contamination and poor input.
He said that when harnessed, groundnut would contribute greatly to revenue generation, increase foreign exchange and create job opportunity, especially for the unemployed.
“The association’s expectation of the ministry is for it to supervise, advise and timely transfer whatever available from government to the association, including new technologies and provision of input that can assist in improving productivity.”
He said that as part of the association’s commitment to repositioning the sub-sector, it would meet on Nov. 13 to conclude on the election of its executive members.
Mr Usman Abdulrasak, Vice-President of the association representing North-West Zone, in a separate interview, said the association was determined to see to resuscitation of the sub-sector.
He expressed concern that the productivity witnessed in groundnut production in the 80s was completely lost.
Abdulrasak, however, expressed optimism that with the groundnut policy underway, the subsector would be repositioned to cater for the needs of Nigerians, particularly in terms of job creation.
Contributing, the Secretary-General of the association, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo, expressed delight that there was a renewed vigour by relevant stakeholders to take the groundnut sub-sector to the next level.
“We met to see how to contribute meaningfully to the new groundnut policy.
“As you know, we are into production, processing and marketing as a sub-sector and the draft policy is focused on these areas.
“In terms of production, it dwells on how the lives of groundnut farmers will be improved.
“Most times when there is excess production, farmers are often left to bear their losses as they sell their produce at give away prices,” he said.
Adebayo expressed the hope that when adopted by stakeholders and sent by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to FEC, it would be approved.
