By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, has disclosed that on June 29, 2017, the first container of yams would be exported from Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
During a session with newsmen in Abuja on the achievements of his Ministry since 2015, Mr Ogbeh said the country was gradually returning to the pre-oil era, when Nigeria depended heavily on agriculture as its main source of foreign exchange and survival.
The Minister said already, Nigeria exports cashew nuts to Vietnam, beans, vegetables and cowpeas to India. He added that very soon, precisely “in another two years, we will be back on the world stage where every country had recognized and expected Nigeria to live up to the name – Major Food Producer.”
“We will soon be back exporting cocoa again on a large scale, although we are exporting very little now; and cashew nuts to Vietnam which we intend to start processing here very soon,” he said at the briefing.
“On June 29 this year, the first container of yams will be leaving the shores of Nigeria for UK,” the Minister said.
Mr Ogbeh noted that Nigerians have heeded to the calls by President Muhammadu Buhari “to return to agriculture,” despite the “trauma they have been through.”
“Young and old, civil servants, military men, journalists, everybody is on his way back to agriculture.
“We only have the challenge, now, of giving them what they need, and we will definitely meet that challenge,” he assured.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Dipo Olowookere