FG urged to extend export incentives to primary producers

The federal government has been urged to extend its export incentives beyond exporters to include farmers and other primary producers in a bid to boost local production and enhance the country’s non-oil export performance.  Kebbi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu made the appeal during a one-day Zonal Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue on the domestication […]

The federal government has been urged to extend its export incentives beyond exporters to include farmers and other primary producers in a bid to boost local production and enhance the country’s non-oil export performance. 

Kebbi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu made the appeal during a one-day Zonal Stakeholders’ Policy Dialogue on the domestication and implementation of the Commerce 160 Initiative Strategic Framework (C160-ISF), held in Sokoto on Thursday. 

Mu’azu criticised the current structure of the Commerce 160 Initiative, noting that it largely benefits exporters while neglecting the grassroots producers who form the backbone of the supply chain. 

“As it stands, the policy favours exporters, leaving out the farmers who do the hard work of production. This oversight is dampening their morale. To truly boost local production, we must include primary producers in the incentive structure,” he said. 

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Director of the Commodities and Export Department at the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Hajara Usman, described the Commerce 160 Initiative as a bold step toward economic diversification, job creation and wealth generation. 

Mr. Musa Audu, speaking on the evolution of the policy, explained that the Commerce 160 Initiative is an expansion of the earlier Commerce 44 scheme launched in 2006, which initially targeted 44 approved export commodities. 

The list has since grown to 160 items to reflect broader export potential. 

Despite these efforts, Audu highlighted Nigeria’s low global competitiveness rankings-124th in Africa and 116th globally-due to persistent quality control and packaging issues. 

He noted that Japan, a major importer of sesame seeds, currently sources 40% of its imports from Nigeria but may reconsider due to these challenges. 

“This meeting is crucial in addressing these concerns. We want the Commerce 160 policy to be fully domesticated at both state and local government levels, especially in the Northwest, which has a comparative advantage in large-scale agricultural production,” he said. 

Audu also lamented that although Nigeria is one of Africa’s top onion producers, Ghana holds the position of the continent’s leading exporter of the commodity, despite sourcing much of its onions from Nigeria.