Nigerians may soon be importing yam for local consumption from China, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Ernest Umakihe has said.
Umakihe stated this while speaking at a stakeholders workshop on repositioning yam as an export cop. He lamented that despite accounting for 67% of global yam output, it was unfortunate that Nigeria is nowhere on the map of yam exporting countries.
He expressed concerns that with China delving into yam exportation, and considering Nigerians taste for imported goods, Chinese yam may soon be found in Nigerian kitchen if care is not taken, thereby pushing more Nigerians into the unemployment market and and reducing income of yam farmers.
Umakihe said Nigerian’s first attempt at exporting yam was by Nasarawa State Government in 2009 with 8.5 metric tonnes and within the same month another 66 metric tonnes were exported in two shipments, followed by Oyo State but without success.