Nigeria would earn about $20billion annually from the United Kingdom and other countries, if the potential of the perishables cargo were harnessed, experts in the cargo and aviation sectors have said.
This was the consensus of Mr. Fortune Idu, the convener of a symposium on agro export air logistics held in Abuja and Mr Mudiaga Okumagba, the chief operating officer Red Star Express,
Mr. Idu, who lamented that Nigerian products were rejected outside the shores, spoke to New Telegraph on the sideline of the confab christened “the Airport Business Summit and Expo (ABSE)”.
He said stated that sound government policies will raise the standard and quality of goods to be exported.
Idu ex-rayed the importance of the programme, stressing that it would enhance continuity improvement in the quality delivery and safe services, policies, programmes and plans among others.
He said there was need to periodically interface through gatherings to ensure the sharing of wider information with a view of deliberating the future.
According him, airport investment provided great options not only to investors but the airport management, stressing that privatization or private equity injection into airport development was seen as hopeful alternative for growth and sustainability, which allowed airport to respond as business entity.
Idu disclosed that ABSE would look at prospects of airport investment marketing and the agro air logistic with the aim of opening more opportunities for the airports to earn more revenues.
He noted that a lot of capital was needed to keep airports going especially as it involved transformation such as construction of new terminals, expansion and upgrade of runway in order to meet the pace of increasing air traffic demand.
According to him, poor harvesting practice by farmers, poor market conditions, poor transportation, inappropriate government funding and insufficient infrastructure have remained great challenges in the export of perishables.
Similarly, Mr Mudiaga Okumagba, the chief operating officer Red Star Express maintained that without taking agro seriously, Nigeria will have problem in exporting her produce.
He said, “The country will earn $52b annually from the United Kingdom if the potential of the perishables cargo were harnessed, noting that Nigerian products were rejected outside the shores”.
He said that there was high cost of freight for perishables as a result of the dwindling rate of the naira and poor storage facilities for perishables.
The Red Star Express boss however, opined that designated locations […]
Nigeria loses $20bn to produce rejection by Europe, others
